Heartless pt III Mind Games
by ErinJordan
Summary: When Frank and Joe go searching for their friend Tony kidnapped by Heartless. They get kidnapped as well. The brothers make a startling discovery that the former leader is very alive and has Tony brainwashed into thinking they are the enemy. And wants to kill them. Can the Hardy Boys save their friend in time before they lose their minds or lives?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi I am back with part 3 of Heartless. This first chapter picks up from the last chapter of Heartless. ******It might help to read ******that **first before reading this to get a better understanding. ******Hope you like it.**

**Don't own the Hardy Boys.**

The Hardy Boys

Heartless Pt. III

Mind Games

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><p>It was a very busy Friday night at <em>Prito's. <em>The mouth-watering aromas of the many Italian dishes filled the restaurant. Aldo Prito had recently decided to reopen his late wife's restaurant as a way to help the town of Bayport heal from both the warehouse bombing, and Heartless in general. He was so overjoyed to finally be home with his son and grandson, and very happy that his son and his friends were recovering well from their ordeal.

Aldo was even more shocked to learn that it was Chet, Phil, Biff, and Tony who had risked their own lives to save Frank and Joe Hardy. He couldn't believe how Joe had fallen to his knees with a pain in his chest, how it was Tony who'd cradled Joe in his lap and tried to comfort and protect him, and how Chet, Biff, and Phil had pushed over the huge beam blocking the door in order to save Frank.

He was not pleased, however, to hear that Angela had also been trapped inside the warehouse with the boys. Nor that Tony had gone into a panic attack after the warehouse collapsed on them, or what Angela's behavior toward his son had been. Dr. Stevens had encouraged Tony to try to work things out with Angela... for after all, she _was_ the mother of his son. They were inevitably going to have to find a way to work out a compromise where Little Antonio was concerned. Dr. Stevens had offered to help counsel the two to help them deal with their issues, which Tony and Angela both agreed to do. Aldo had to agree with the doctor on that issue, even though he didn't fully trust Angela. He trusted Dr. Stevens, so he knew Tony would be in good hands.

As Aldo was busy going from table to table greeting people, his staff bustled about, bringing out their orders. Fenton wanted his sons and their friends to have fun and relax, hoping to put the Heartless nightmare behind them after a few weeks of being in the hospital. He wanted to treat them to Prito's for a celebration dinner. It was a way of thanking Chet, Phil, Biff, and Tony for saving his sons's lives, as well as saying that he was happy they were all recovering after being trapped in the rubble of the fallen warehouse. They invited Dr. Stevens to celebrate with them, and he graciously accepted before heading to the Prito's home for his counseling session with Tony and Angela.

"At least for now," Fenton thought to himself. He secretly knew that the Heartless nightmare was far from over. Just recently he'd received a chilling email of "**You wanna play games, Detective?"** ending with the Heartless crest. It was a black heart with a blood-red outline and a spiked X through it, and it never failed to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Fenton flashed back, remembering the former leader of Heartless, Robert Santos's, a.k.a. Sei Duro's, chilling words. "You wanna play games, Detective?"

The detective shook the thought out of his head. "No, that's impossible. It just can't be! The Gray Man confirmed the man is dead."

However, his detective instincts were kicking in, telling him that with Heartless anything was possible. If it wasn't Sei Duro, then who? He knew he had to be sure, not wanting to cause a panic. Fenton decided to keep it to himself until he had proof. He had his colleague Sam Radley to help him find out about the supposedly dead, former leader of Heartless.

Then a roar of laughter coming from the group of teens sitting at the end of the table got Fenton's attention.

A big smile spread across his face when he realized it was Joe causing all the laughter. Fenton reached over and gave his wife's hand a light squeeze. Laura could barely keep herself from smiling. Joe was recovering well from his ordeal, and thanks to a week of physical therapy he was starting to get feeling back in his arm. Unfortunately, the knife wound left him with a scar as an ugly reminder of what Mathers did to him. However, it was not stopping Joe from moving past all that, and so he concentrated on his family, friends, and just having fun.

Frank, too, was recovering nicely, back to being the protective older brother. Fenton couldn't be more proud at the kind of man his oldest son was becoming. The way he took care of his brother with love, companion, and, most importantly, patience was just exceptional. So was how he supported his friends through good times and bad, the way he cared about people, and his need to fight for what was right. Fenton couldn't wait to see what this world had to offer him, or better yet, what Frank had to offer the world. Fenton knew one thing for certain: Frank was going to make a big difference in the world.

"I am just so glad that whole Heartless nightmare is over," Vanessa said, breaking into Fenton's thoughts as she held Joe's hand. "And everyone is okay."

"Me too," Callie added. "Maybe now things can get back to normal around here."

"You mean like going back to school on Monday?" Chet scrunched up his nose as he ate a fork-full of pasta.

"Well, after all, it is our senior year," Frank added. "It's supposed to be the best year."

"That's easy for you to say," Joe shot back. "You, Callie, Chet, Phil, and Tony. You'll be graduating, going off to college, and starting whole new lives while Biff, Vanessa, and I are still stuck in high school for another year."

"Joe, just look on the bright side."

"What's that?"

"Now you have something to look forward to," Frank replied, smiling as he teased his little brother.

Joe, giving Frank a dirty look, responded, "Yeah, whatever you say big brother."

"Yep, Joe is definitely back," Frank thought to himself. School was one of his little brother's least favorite things, but Frank knew deep down that Joe really liked school, only he would never admit it. However, in order for both brothers to come work for their father full-time as detectives, they had to complete high school and college. That was one of the things Fenton had insisted on, no questions asked.

"So what happen to all those kids Heartless recruited?" Phil spoke up, taking a sip of water.

"Well, according to what Chief Collig told Dad, the police are still trying to find their families," Frank answered. "They think most of them are runaways."

"Most of the kids will be placed in the care of child protective services," Joe chimed in. "Some will be in jail for the crimes they committed... and unfortunately some of them died in the bombing."

"That is a shame," Callie said in disgust. "They were just victims in this... being used by Heartless. I wish there was a way to help them. Gang Alley is part of Bayport, too."

"Well, actually you _can, _Callie," Fenton replied. "They are in need of volunteers to help with cleaning up Gang Alley."

"I definitely want to volunteer," Callie said, getting all excited. "It would be a good way to help the community, and the kids can have a safe place to grow up in."

"That's not a bad idea," Frank agreed, putting an arm around his girlfriend.

Vanessa agreed too. "Maybe we can even change the name of Gang Alley!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Man, the food was awesome as usual," Joe said, changing the subject as he pushed back his plate and patted his stomach.

Aldo came up to their table, smiling. "Thank you Joe."

Joe patted his stomach again. "I still could go for a Prito's special."

Laura raised an eyebrow at this. "Joe, don't tell me you're still hungry?"

"Mom, he's always hungry," Frank commented. "Joe's a bottomless pit..."

"Hey, I enjoy good food!" Joe interrupted, acting insulted.

"Joe, I enjoy good food, too," Dr. Stevens said, trying to stifle a laugh in order to come to Joe defense. "May I ask what a Prito's special is?"

"It is a pizza," Aldo answered, "With basically anything you want on it, and baked in a brick oven."

"It's not just any pizza," Joe simply stated, "It's the best pizza you'll ever eat."

"It's what Prito's is known for," Frank continued to explain. "When Joe orders a pizza, he won't let anyone but Tony make it."

"Well it's just... no one makes it the way Tony does," Joe cut in. "I don't know how he does it. I'm telling you, Dr. Stevens, once you've had a Prito's special... you won't want anything else."

"That sounds interesting, Joe," The doctor replied.

"Tony makes it the way his mother taught him," Aldo said, swallowing a lump in his throat. It was pretty clear the man was still grieving the death of his wife.

"Where is Tony?" Laura asked with concern.

"He is at home with the baby and Angela," Aldo answered with a deep sigh. "Hopefully the two of them are working things out. For Antonio's sake."

"You left them alone?" Frank's eyes widened.

"Is that a good idea?" Joe asked.

Aldo shook his head yes. "Tony has been really good at trying to control his anxiety. His nightmares are fewer now, and the best part is that he hasn't had a panic attack in almost a week. In fact, it was his idea to talk things out with Angela."

"It's going to take time for Tony to adjust to being home after his ordeal last summer, and with what happened a few weeks ago with the warehouse bombing," Dr. Stevens added. "But we're just going to have to trust Tony and let him handle this..."

The doctor was then cut off by a blood-curdling scream. _"HELP! SOMEONE HELP PLEASE!"_

All of a sudden, the front doors of the restaurant burst open. Everyone whirled around to see Angela come running into the room, Little Antonio in her arms and crying, "waaaa! waaaaaaa!"

"Angela, what's wrong?!" Frank and Joe asked in unison as everyone stood up from their seats.

"Tony... and... I," Angela began, crying hysterically and rushing up to their table, "We were in the living room talking... when... two... big guys... with guns... kicked in the front door... they grabbed Tony!"

Everyone gasped.

"Tony yelled at me... to take the baby and run... to get help!"

Frank and Joe immediately flew past her and out the door.

"Everyone stay here!" Fenton instructed as he reached for his phone, calling Chief Collig as Aldo also ran out the door.

Laura, doing her best not to panic, stayed in control for everyone's sake. She and Dr. Stevens immediately went to Angela to try to calm her and the baby down.

Phil, Biff, Chet, Callie, and Vanessa stood by in shock, fearing for their friend and not sure what to do.

Frank and Joe ran down the back alley of Prito's that lead to Tony's house. Horrible thoughts ran through their minds, not knowing what was happening to their friend. Each step they ran seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the brothers reached the front porch of the house. Frank could see the front door hanging off its hinges, hearing an eerie silence inside. Before he could say a word, Joe shot past him and into the house.

"Joe, wait!" Frank cried out, his heart beating out of his chest. He didn't know what or who was waiting inside.

"Frank... Joe!" Fenton called out as he and Aldo ran breathlessly, meeting Frank on the porch. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Oh God, Tony!" Aldo's face turned ghostly white upon seeing the front door.

Fenton, looking around and not seeing Joe, asked, "Where's your brother?!"

"He ran inside," Frank replied anxiously. Every part of him wanted to run in to find his impulsive brother.

Than they all heard, "Dad! Frank!"

"Joe!"

Fenton, Frank, and Aldo entered the living room, running at full speed. They stopped, horrified by the sight in front of them. The place was completely trashed, with glass everywhere, furniture shuffled around; the coffee table turned over, and crooked picture-frames on the walls. There were obvious signs of a struggle.

Joe was standing there, completely shaking, by a blood-stained couch. Frank watched as Joe stared intensely at a Polaroid picture in his hand.

"Joe?" he asked, "What is it?"

With a shaking hand, Joe handed Frank the picture.

"Oh God." Frank's eyes widened. Fenton and Aldo gasped in shock as they looked over Frank's shoulder at the picture in his hand. There it was... a photo of Tony unconscious, bound and gagged with Heartless's insignia... a big black heart with a blood-red outline and a spiked X through it. There was a blood-written message that read:

**_"The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!_**** "**

"Oh God, Tony." Aldo slowly sat down, as if someone had just punched him in the stomach." What does this mean?" He looked up at Fenton, wanting answers.

"I'm afraid it's not over yet. Heartless is back and now they have Tony," Fenton said nervously as he gulped, feeling sick to his stomach. "And they want Joe, too."

The chilling words ran down Frank's spin, and Joe instinctively put his hand on Frank's arm. Frank, going into big-brother mode, started rubbing his little brother's back to let him know he was okay. There was no way in _hell_ Heartless was going to take Joe. They'd have to go through _him_ first. Then, he thought of Tony, praying he was alright.

"Hang on, Tony. I promise we'll find you," he vowed.

Feeling rage building up inside of him, Fenton put a comforting hand on Aldo's shoulder, looking at Frank and then at Joe while saying, "Aldo, I promise you, we'll find Tony."

Aldo nodded slowly.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect our sons," Fenton vowed, face scrunched up with drive and determination. "I'm going after Heartless. The game has begun..."

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><p><strong>Please review! thank you :D<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Don't own the Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys

Heartless Pt. III

Mind Games

* * *

><p>It was ten-o-clock at night when Chief Collig and Officer Riley, along with several other officers, entered the Prito home. They, too, horrified by the sight in front of them. The place was completely trashed, with glass everywhere, furniture shuffled around, the coffee table turned over, and picture-frames crooked on the walls. There were even blood-stains splattered all over the couch. It was an obvious sign of a struggle.<p>

"Fenton, what have you got?" Chief Collig asked.

Fenton quickly filled Chief Collig in on the situation, handing him the picture of Tony.

Chief Collig stared intensely at the photo of the boy unconscious, bound, and gagged with the Heartless insignia... a big black heart with a blood-red outline and a spiked X through it. There was even a blood-written message that read: **_"The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!_ "**

"Heartless," he muttered as he gave a slight nod, glancing over at Joe who was standing next to Frank. He could see the mixed emotions of fear, worry and, anger on their faces. Chief Collig then turned his attention to a pale-face Aldo Prito. He was sitting in a recliner, just staring down at the floor with the same expression on his face. The Chief's heart went out to the man. He knew about the horrible situation that Tony had gone through this last summer.

Chief Collig cleared his throat before reassuring the distraught father. "Mr. Prito, I'm sorry about your son. My men and I will do everything in our power to find Tony."

"Thank you, Chief Collig, " Aldo replied with heavy emotion in his voice. "I don't care what you do. If you have to search through the house, tear it completely apart, then do it... just find my son."

"Officer Riley!" Chief Collig ordered, "I want this house searched from top to bottom, inside and out, for any clues. Have forensics take blood samples from the couch. Check for fingerprints, anything that's gonna help us find Tony and figure out who took him. Also, start questioning the neighbors... see if anyone saw or heard anything."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Riley responded as he and his fellow officers left to carry out Chief Collig's orders.

"Where's Ms. Santos?" Chief Collig asked, turning back to the Hardy's.

"Angela is at the Prito's restaurant," Frank spoke up.

"Good, 'cause I want to question her, too."

"So would I," Fenton added, suddenly feeling his sons' eyes on him. Before he was hit with the inevitable surge of questions, he began to explain. "I wanted to wait until I had solid proof before telling you, but I recently received a chilling email that read 'You wanna play games, Detective?' ending with the Heartless crest." Again, Fenton felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Sam Radley is checking things for me to see what he can find out about the supposedly dead, former leader of Heartless."

Frank and Joe both looked at him expectantly, so Fenton continued on.

"There is a possibility that..." Fenton sighed heavily, knowing this was not going to go well. "Robert Santos, or better known as Sei Duro, is alive.

"What!?"

"But... I thought the man was dead..." Frank's voice trailed off when something caught his eye. It was barely noticeable, being that it was practically buried between the couch cushions, but still he knew immediately that it would be very important.

"Frank, what is it?"

"Dad, will you hand me your handkerchief?"

Fenton handed Frank his white handkerchief, and soon he, along with Joe, Aldo, and Chief Collig, all watched as Frank reached into the bloodied couch and pulled out a small tape recorder. Frank hesitated for a second before pushing the play button.

"No! S...stay away!"

They all gasped in shock. It was sound of Tony's voice, screaming hysterically and sounding utterly terrified.

"Nooo! Let me go... please no... Frank! Joe! God, help me!..."

There was a heavy sting of silence in the air, the tension nearly palpable as Frank turned off the tape recorder. Even their heartbeats seemed to still.

Frank felt anger building up inside of him. He could see the mask of anger on Joe's face, too, and he knew exactly was his little brother was thinking. They were both vowing to make sure that Heartless paid for hurting Tony.

"Tony... My Tony," Aldo's voice quivered, tears dancing in the corners of his eyes. "What did they... do to my son?"

Fenton placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. He knew exactly how Aldo was feeling; he hadn't forgotten how close he came to losing both of _his_ sons. It had torn him apart, hearing Joe cry out in pain, and he had gone out of his mind with worry when Frank went missing in the warehouse bombing, fearing his oldest was dead. All at the hands of Heartless.

As the chilling message ran through his head,_"The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!"_ Fenton tried to stay calm himself. There was no way in _hell_ Heartless was going to take Joe. They'd have to go through _him_ first. Then he thought of Tony and despair gripped him, silently praying that the boy was alright.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of Joe running out the front door, Frank right behind him.

"Joe!" Fenton called out to his son, rushing outside after the boys.

"Joe, calm down!" Fenton heard Frank say as he stood on the porch, watching his oldest son doing his best to calm down his youngest, who was now pacing back and forth on the front lawn.

"We failed him, Frank... we failed Tony!" Joe ranted on. "He was screaming for us to help him!"

"Joe, stop. You getting all upset like this isn't helping the situation."

Frank put his hands on his brother's shoulders, forcing Joe to stop pacing and making his little brother face him.

"What did they doing to him?" Joe asked softly, trying and failing to calm down. "I just can't get his screaming out of my head. You could just _hear _the fear in Tony's voice." His eyes were pleading at Frank. "What if we're too late, Frank? What if... Tony is dead?"

"Joe, I don't believe for one second that Tony is dead," Frank said calmly, even though he too was angry and frustrated. For Tony's sake, he was doing his best to stay in control. "You heard Dad's message, right?"

"Yeah," Joe nodded. _"You wanna play games, Detective? _Unfortunately_, _Tony is in the middle of Santos' sick game."

"If Santos is alive, than that means Tony is still a witness to the murder Santos committed last summer," Frank said, pausing as he ran a hand nervously through his hair. "That doesn't give us a lot time, because when Santos gets done playing, he _will_ kill Tony."

Frank's chilling words cut through Joe, sending a shiver down his spin. "And whatever Heartless did to Tony..." Frank went on, unable to stop himself, "They'll be after you next. We haven't failed him yet. Tony is counting on us. We just need to stay calm and focus on finding him. So start thinking like a detective, Joe. We have work to do."

After a few minutes, Joe took a deep breath to calm down. He knew Frank was right; they had to stay calm and focus... for Tony's sake. "Hang on, Tony. We'll find you."

Going into detective-mode, Joe turned to Frank. "Okay, so where do we start?"

"Well, let's go back inside and look for more clues that would tell us what happened to Tony," Frank replied.

Joe just nodded okay, unable to say a thing.

"Joe, are you alright?" Fenton asked, walking back into the living room with his boys.

"Yeah, I'll be fine Dad... once we have Tony back."

Just then, Officer Riley came walking into the room with a short, gray-haired, slender women in her late sixties. She was wearing a floral house coat and steel-rimmed glasses. The women reminded Frank of his Aunt Gertrude.

"Chief Collig, this is Mrs. Granger from next door."

"Hello, Mrs. Granger," Chief Collig acknowledged.

Officer Riley then turned to the women, saying, "Go ahead, Ma'am, tell the Chief what you told me."

"Okay," the women replied nervously as the Hardys and Aldo gathered around. "I was in my bedroom upstairs, sleeping, when suddenly I heard a girl hysterically screaming. It startled me something fierce. I got out of bed as fast as I could to see what was going on." The women paused to take a breath. "And by the time I got up to the window, there were these two really large men carrying a huge box out of this house, loading it in the back of a dark van. They drove off and that was that."

'Can you describe the box to us?"

"It looked about the size of a coffin."

"They put my son in a coffin!" Aldo's voice boomed out, horrified at the thought.

Frank and Joe exchanged looks with each other. Frank turned to the women, asking, "Did you see what the two men looked like?"

"No, I'm sorry, it was too dark for that. I could only just make out two large, dark figures," Mrs. Granger answered.

"What about the van?" Fenton asked.

"No, I'm sorry." Mrs. Granger shook her head. "The Prito's are such a nice family. I was sadden to hear about Simone passing away last summer. She brought me food a couple of years ago when I broke my ankle. And their son, Tony, would always help me with yard work, and Aldo would help me with little repair jobs I needed done around the house. I wish I could be more help to you."

"It's okay, Mrs. Granger," Chief Collig replied. "You've been a great help already. Go with Officer Riley here and make out a statement. If you remember anything else, please call us."

"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," Aldo said graciously as Officer Riley escorted the women out of the room. She smiled weakly, wished them good luck, and was gone in a flash.

After a long pause, Frank spoke up, thinking out loud. "These guys are pretty bold for using the front door. That's for sure."

Joe looked at Fenton, Frank, and Chief Collig, eager to do anything asked. "So, what do we do now?"

"Right now I'll get an APB out to search any dark-colored van," Chief Collig stated. "We'll have the airport and loading docks searched as well."

"While you're doing that," Fenton replied, turning to Frank and Joe, "Why don't we go talk to Ms. Santos?"

* * *

><p>About an hour later at Prito's, the staff were busy closing up the place as Laura and Dr. Stevens sat around a large table with a now calmed-down Angela. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying, still looking considerably shaken-up as she consoled a very fussy Little Antonio in her arms. Phil, Biff, and Chet along with Callie and Vanessa all sat with them, waiting anxiously to hear about what was going on with their friends.<p>

Laura looked up to see Fenton, Frank, Joe, and Aldo come walking in, carrying grim expressions on their faces. She knew right away that it wasn't good news.

"Fenton, what's wrong?!" she asked anxiously, everyone whirling around to see them.

"I am afraid Heartless is back..." Fenton began, getting right to the matter.

"And they have Tony," Aldo added as he slowly sunk into a chair, hearing gasps from around the room.

"Oh no, Tony!" Angela said under her breath, holding her baby protectively close to her.

Fenton, Frank, and Joe took turns telling them about what happened to Tony. Like how the living room was completely trashed, with glass everywhere, furniture shuffled around, the coffee table turned over, picture-frames crooked on the walls, and even blood-stains splattered all over the couch. It was an obvious sign of a struggle.

After that was over, and everyone listening was sufficiently terrified for their friend, Frank told them about the picture Joe had found of Tony unconscious, bound, and gagged with the Heartless insignia: a big black heart with a blood-red outline and a spiked X through it. Laura's face paled when he told them about the blood-written message that read _The Prito boy is ours... and Joe is next._"

"No!"

"There is a possible that Robert Santos or better known as Sei Duro, is alive." Fenton continued on, sighing heavily and knowing that this was not going to go well.

"I wanted to wait until there is solid proof before telling you, but I recently received a chilling email that read 'You wanna play games, Detective?' ending with the Heartless crest." Once again, Fenton felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Sam Radley is checking things for me to see what he can find out about the supposedly dead former leader of Heartless."

"My father... is alive?" Angela said softly, unable to believe it," No."

Fenton turned to Angela, "We need to ask you some questions."

Angela hesitated for a moment, than nodded okay. "Alright, go ahead."

"Tell us again what happened with you and Tony."

"Tony and I," Angela began nervously as she felt all eyes on her, "Were in the living room, talking. I had just put Antonio in the downstairs crib that Tony has. When all-of-the-sudden these two big guys in dark suits with guns kicks in the front door and immediately head straight for Tony. The next thing I knew they grabbed him. That's when Tony yelled at me to take Antonio, run, and get help. I don't know anything after that."

Frank took a seat in front of Angela. "We have a witness who said she saw two really large men carrying a coffin-size box out of the house and placing it in the back of a dark van. She couldn't see them because it was too dark. Can you describe the two men?"

"I don't know," Angela said as she shook her head. "Everything was happening so fast."

"Angela, for Tony's sake, please try to remember anything," Frank pushed. It was important if they were going to find Tony before it was too late, and he desperately wanted to stop Heartless from taking Joe.

There was a smothering silence as everyone waited for Angela to say something, and Frank could see the wheels turning in her head,

"Wilkes," she said finally, breaking her the silence. "One of the guys looked a lot like Calvin Wilkes. He was one of my father's henchman."

"Wilkes... Wilkes." Frank said, repeating the name over in his head. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Then suddenly it hit him. "Wait... wasn't there a Wilkes involved in kidnapping Joe and Tony last summer?"

"Yeah..." Joe spoke up. "But I thought he died when Heartless bombed the police station."

"Well, Chief Collig did say that three bodies were found in their cells, but they were hard to identify," Fenton replied. "They just assumed that the bodies were of Dr. Marsalis, Wilkes, and of course Santos. The rubble made them indistinguishable."**  
><strong>

"So..." Joe said slowly. "It's possible Wilkes and Dr. Marsalis could very well be, alive as well."

"It's possible." Frank nodded. "One thing we know for sure is that they're all a part of Heartless."

"How do we know she's not part of this as well?!" Joe said, glaring at Angela.

"What?!" Angela's eyes widened. "You think I'm involved in this?!"

Little Antonio suddenly wiggled in her arms and started crying. "Waaaa! Waaaaaaa!"**  
><strong>

"Yes... yes I do!" Joe snapped, his face turning pale, then brick-red. Feeling pressure building up inside of him, he knew he was about to explode; he just couldn't help himself.

Angela just looked at him, blinking.

"Where's Tony?!" Joe exploded, struggling to control his temper.

"I don't know! Where Tony is!" Angela fired back.

"Joe, calm down," Dr. Stevens instructed.

"I don't want to calm down!" Joe spat, narrowing his eyes at Angela and taking a menacing step towards the girl. Fenton held him back, but that didn't stop Joe from releasing his anger. He began puffing up his chest and his breathing got heavy and ragged. Fenton really got scared when he saw the wild look in Joe's blue eyes. "I don't trust you! If anything happens to Tony..."

"Joe, stop!" Fenton ordered. He had to defuse this situation quickly. "_Take a minute and calm down._Our emotions are running high because of Tony. For now let's call it a night. Everyone go home and try to get some sleep. We'll start fresh in the morning.

**"**I'm... not... involved in this... I swear!... I love Tony," Angela sobbed as she held tightly on to her baby. "I don't want any part of Heartless or my father!"

"Liar!" Joe shouted as he stormed out of the room, slamming the front doors. Filled with concern, Frank shot right out of his seat after his little brother.

"Fenton, go with them!" Laura cried

Before anyone could make a move to stop them, they suddenly all heard the sound of screeching tires and then Frank's voice cried out. "Joe!"

Fenton called out as he flew out the door, everyone right behind him. He frantically looked around, not seeing his two sons.

"Frank!" he screamed, "Joe!"

"Fenton, look!" Laura exclaimed. Fenton looked to see his wife pointing with a shaking finger. On the wall of the Prito's restaurant was a big, black heart with a blood-red outline and a spiked X through it.

"Oh God! Frank and Joe are in the hands of Heartless!"

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><p><strong>Sorry it's kind of short. if you want Frank &amp; Joe back. Let me know what you think? should I continue? <strong>Please review! <strong>thank you :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Don't own the Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys

Heartless Pt. III

Mind Games

* * *

><p>It was a sleepless night at the Hardy home. Fenton was in his office, as though he'd tried to sleep too, all he could think about was Frank, Joe, and Tony in the hands of Heartless. The words "<em>The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!" <em>along with_ "You wanna play games Detective?" _and followed by the sound of Tony's terrified screaming for help kept playing over and over again in his head.

_"God... what did Heartless do to that boy? What if the same thing is happening to my boys?"_**  
><strong>

As he rubbed his tired eyes, his body begging for sleep, Fenton refused to give in. He had to focus completely on finding the boys. After a few moments of silence, he added, "I'm coming boys... Just hold on. I will find you."

Suddenly, the sound of the telephone on his desk brought itself to Fenton's attention. Grateful for the literal wake-up call, he immediately answered it.

"Hello?"

Chief Collig came on the line. "Fenton, I have some news. We found a GMC S-15 black cargo van, abandoned about two miles out-of-town along the ocean front, on Shore Road."

"Did you get the licenses plate number?" Fenton asked hopefully.

"Yes we did," Chief Collig replied. "We traced the number to a U-Haul pack and ship company in New York. Apparently, someone had stolen one of their cargo vans a few nights ago."

"Do they know who?"

"The owner of the company, Jim Kruger, suspected one of his employees. He hired him just a few days ago, and the van and the employee have been missing ever since."

"Really? Did he give you the employee's name?"

"John Snyder," answered Chief Collig, and he then went on to provide some physical descriptions. "A tall, skinny man in his late twenties. He had a short, black haircut and was wearing jeans with a white tank top the last time he was seen."

"John Snyder?" Fenton gripped the phone tigher in his hand. "That description matches the same description of John Cypher. I know from a contact that it is suspected that Cypher might still be alive... that means it's possible that he was driving the dark van that drove off with Tony."

"I agree with you, Fenton."

"Chief, where did you say you found the van?"

"Two miles out of Bayport along the ocean front, on Shore Road. Why?"

"Well, there is a private airport out there. The owner is a friend of mine, Jack Wayne. He's a veteran pilot who often flies assignments for me and my boys. There is a 2,300 foot grass runway on 34.6 acres with three hangers. It's convenient way to all the highways of New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut."

"Fenton, are you saying what I think you're saying? Do you think Heartless took off with the boys by plane?"

"Yes, yes I do," Fenton simply stated, feeling sick to his stomach. "God only knows where they are now." Then he went silent.**  
><strong>

"Fenton, are you still there?"

"Sorry... I'm still here. I will try and get a hold of Jack, but I think he may be out of town."

"Okay Fenton. I better let you go... keep me posted if you find out anything."

"I will, and... you do the same," Fenton replied, voice filled with heavy emotion as he said this.

"I will... and Fenton, we'll find them."

"Thank you Chief. I know we will." Fenton then hung up the phone, slumping forward in his chair as his heart ached with both hope and worry. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him, turning to get a better look at it.

Laura stood in the doorway. Her eyes were blood-shot, red and puffy from crying and worrying herself sick over the boys. "Fenton, come downstairs to breakfast."

Fenton stood up and walked over to his wife, immediately wrapping his arms around her. He released her, wiping her tears off her cheeks, and gently kissed her forehead. "I'll find them, Laura," he assured her, pushing back the emotions that threatened to come spilling out. He had to stay in control for his family's sake. He needed to be their strength. "I promise you."

"I know you will..." Laura said, her voice trailing off. Fenton squeezed her shoulder to encourage her to continue. "Why don't you come down to breakfast. You need to keep up your strength. And besides..."

"Besides what?"

"Besides, Aldo is downstairs waiting for you."

* * *

><p>"Good morning," Laura greeted, trying to sound cheerful as she and Fenton made their way into the kitchen. She went over to the stove to start breakfast as Aldo and Angela sat around the kitchen table. "How about breakfast?"<p>

"No thanks, Laura. I'm not hungry. I'll just have coffee." Aldo let out a heavy sigh. Fenton could see dark circles around the man's eyes. It was clear he was under a lot of stress worrying about Tony. Can't say that he blamed him. Fenton felt the same way.

Little Antonio was currently talking gibberish, sitting in his mother's lap.

Since Aldo's home was now a crime-scene, Fenton and Laura had invited him and his grandson to stay in their guestroom. They didn't want them being alone and knew that Aldo desperately needed the support.

At first, Angela had protested the idea. "You can't keep me from my baby!" she'd said, suddenly getting all defensive. Aldo didn't fully trust Angela and had refused to let the baby out of his site. So, Fenton agreed to let Angela stay with them as well, but he had a different reason. This reason was the fact that she was his only link to Santos, and he secretly hoped that she would lead him to finding Frank, Joe, and Tony.

"Angela, how about you? Would you like some breakfast?" Laura asked, breaking into Fenton's thoughts.

"Un, no thank you, Mrs. Hardy. I'm not hungery either."

Aldo turned to Fenton, asking, "Have you heard anything yet?"

Fenton poured himself a cup of coffee, then gave Aldo his full attention. "Yes, I just got off the phone with Chief Collig." He quickly filled them in on his conversation with Chief Collig. "The police found a black cargo van abandoned about two miles out-of-town along the ocean front, on Shore Road. The number was traced to a U-Haul pack and ship company in New York, where a former employee had stolen one of their cargo vans a few nights ago. We think that Heartless took off with the boys by plane."

"What?! No!" Laura and Aldo said together, gasping at the thought.

Before Fenton could respond, the sound of the doorbell ringing got everyone's attention.

Laura went to answer it, and when she came back Sam Radley was with her. "Fenton, Sam is here."

Just then, Sam came into the room. "I'm sorry to intrude, Fenton, but I have some news about Santos. You need to hear it."

"Go ahead, Sam."

Sam sat down next to Fenton and began to explain, still rubbing his tired eyes. "My contact in Italy has confirmed that Robert Santos, or better known as Sei Duro, is very much alive."

Sam paused for a moment as he heard the gasps from around the table. He knew what they were feeling. He had been shocked, too.

"Does your contact know where he is?" Fenton asked hurriedly.

A smile spread across Sam's face as he replied. "There has been heavy Heartless activity in Siena Tuscany, Italy.

"That's where my father is from!" Angela spoke up.

Laura's eyes widened, getting all excited. "Do you think that is where Frank, Joe, and Tony are?"

"There is only way to find out," Fenton firmly stated.

"I figured you would say that, Fenton," Sam said, "Because I already called Jack. He is waiting at the airport. Just say the word and we are off to Siena Tuscany, Italy."

"I'm coming boys... just hold on," Fenton replied, no longer talking to Sam. "I'm coming."

* * *

><p><strong>Siena Tuscany, Italy:<strong>

"NOOOO! Let me go!"

"Scream all you want; no one can hear you," said the cold, icy voice of a tall, good-looking, athletic man in his late fifties. He had his dark-hair slicked back, wearing an _Armani _tailored black suit and looking strong and fierce. The expression on his face was stone cold, almost like it hurt him to smile.

Sheer terror ran through the eighteen-year-old Tony Prito's body. He suddenly began breathing heavily, gasping for air. "No... it's not possible... you're dead! I know you're dead!"

The man walked up and grabbed Tony by the chin, giving him an icy stare that nearly stopped his heart. "Santos is dead! You will refer to me as Sei Duro!"

Tony gulped nervously. "Are you… going to kill me?

An evil grin spread across Sei Duro's face, and he nearly chuckled. "Of course I'm not going to kill you, Tony… after all, we're family."

At these words, fear and hatred strange up in Tony's chest.

"Besides that, Prito," he went on, "You signed a contract to join Heartless, sealing it with your own blood. Once you have become a part of Heartless, you're in it for life. Which means you belong to me. I can do whatever I want with you."

"No!" Tony exclaimed, pulling Sei Duro's hand away from his face. "That's not true! I won't kill Joe Hardy!"

"I figured you'd say that," Sei Duro replied coolly. "That's why I have to take matters into my own hands."

"W-What do you mean?"

There was a heavy silence in the air.

"We're going to play a little game with your Hardy friends," Sei Duro stated, breaking the silence. "And... you're about to play a very big part." Grabbing his chin again, he met Tony at eye level, now smiling obscenely. Sei Duro started talking to him like they were old friends.

"Prito, you're about to take part in a scientific experiment. You will be making history."

"Nooo!... let me go!" Tony screamed hysterically, pulling against the restrains on his feet and wrists on an operating table that he was strapped to and trying desperately to break free. He suddenly found himself surrounded by people in surgical masks and gowns. He saw machines, monitors, and a tray of medical surgical instruments. It all made his stomach drop.

"What are you going to do to me? Oh God, help me!"

Ignoring Tony's cries, Sei Duro patted his face, whispering, "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. As a matter of fact, Prito, when you wake up, you'll feel like a whole new man."

Sei Duro laughed sardonically before ordering, "Dr. Marsalis, let's get on with it!"

"Nooo!" Tony's eyes widened, and again he pulled against the restraints as a male doctor in his late sixties walked up to him. He was of average height with short gray hair, and wearing a surgical mask and gown, he loomed over Tony with a syringe and stuck it in his arm.

"No! Please! Frank! Joe! God! Somebody help me, please!" Tears streamed down Tony's face, and suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>the next chapter I will have Frank and Joe in it. I promise Please review and tell me what you think? <strong>

**Also the rest of the story is going to take place in Siena Tuscany, Italy. I don't know anything about Italy. I've been reading up on it. If anyone has any helpful information or things I should know please fill free to share.**


	4. Chapter 4

Don't own the Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

* * *

><p><strong>( Frank and Joe's perspective:)<strong>

Frank ran out the front doors of the Prito's restaurant after his brother. He frantically looked around, unable to see Joe. His heart dropped, however, when he caught sight of two, large men about an inch or two taller than his own six-foot-one stature. They were both built like linebackers, with thick legs and arms, and were wearing dark clothing that showed off their muscular frames. The men were standing on the street by a dark van, looking at him with strong and fierce expressions on their faces. One of them he immediately recognized as Wilkes.

"Where's my brother?!" Frank demanded, clutching his fists and taking a step towards the men.

"He's in here," said a man's voice from inside the van, freezing Frank in his tracks. Just then, the side-door slid open, revealing a tall, skinny man in his late twenties. He had a short, black haircut and was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket over it.

Frank recognized him right away. Cypher!

An evil grin spread across Cypher's face. "Wilkes! Vinny! Let's reunite our friend here with his brother."

All of the sudden, Wilkes came out of nowhere, sending a fist to Frank's face and knocking him to the ground. Before Frank could recover from the hard blow to the face, Wilkes had picked him up by the collar of his shirt and shoved him roughly into the back of the van.

Frank gasped in horror, seeing Joe lying unconscious, bound, and gagged beside him. "Joe!

"Cypher! What did do to my brother?! You son of a...!"

"Vinny! Wilkes! Hurry, let's go!" Cypher yelled, cutting Frank off as he climbed behind the wheel. "We have a plane to catch!"

Vinny then came up behind Frank, wrapped his right arm around his head, and pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose. Chloroform!

The sweet scent was undeniable. Frank struggled against the man's iron-like grip, practically clawing his hand away from his face, but it was no use. Everything started to get blurry as he breathed in the chloroform, and soon his entire mind was spinning. All Frank could see was the man's hand holding the cloth on his face. He heard the sound of the van starting up, and before long, everything went black.

"Sweet dreams, Hardy boys." Vinny snorted a laugh, looking down at the unconscious brothers as Cypher drove off into the night. "Next stop... Siena Tuscany, Italy!

* * *

><p>A few hours or so later, Frank slowly woke up, his head spinning from the large dose of chloroform he was forced to breathe in. Clutching his eyes shut for a few seconds to help them adjust to the lack of lighting, he realized that his hands were tied behind his back and he was lying on a cold, hard, concrete floor. Finally his vision cleared up enough for him to make out a room with a big metal door and a window blocked by iron bars.<p>

Where am I?

Suddenly, a wave of memories flooded his mind. He saw himself being forced into the back of a van by Cypher and his two goons. He was then hit with an image of Joe lying in the back of a van unconscious, bound and gagged helplessly.

"Joe!" Frank shouted, starting to panic.

Just when he was about to start screaming at the top of his lungs, he heard a raspy voice mumble out, "Frank?"

Frank's vision was clear enough to see Joe just a few feet away. His hands were tied behind his back as well.

Joe's eyes soon fluttered open, too; his vision was blurry and his head was spinning.

"Where am I? Where's Frank?" he thought. He started to panic and his heart began pounding out of his chest. "Frank! Frank!"

"Joe!" said a concerned, familiar voice. "I'm right here!"

Joe turned his head to the sound of his brother's voice. After a few seconds, Joe's vision finally became clear enough to seeing Frank laying a few feet from him. Joe started firing off questions at once. "Frank... where are we? What's going on? What...?"

"Joe, listen too me. Take a deep breath and just calm down first," Frank said in a calm, soothing voice.

Joe did as his brother instructed; after he took a deep breath, he continued. "The last thing I remember was arguing with Angela Santos... and running out of Prito's. Then somebody grabbed me and put a cloth over my face. The next thing I knew, everything went black."

Joe's blue eyes started scanning their surroundings. They were in some sort of room with a cold, hard, concrete floor. His eyes shifted to a big metal door with bars on the window. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Frank replied, shaking his head and quickly filling Joe in on his ordeal with Cypher, Wilkes, and Vinny. "I do know one thing, though. Wherever we are, it involves Heartless."

Suddenly they heard someone screaming hysterically and sounding utterly terrified.

"Nooo! Let me go... please no... Frank! Joe! God! Help me!"

"Tony!" Frank and Joe cried in unison, knowing the familiar voice. Joe's eyes widened as it suddenly hit him. "Tony is here, too! Frank, we have to get to him!"

Joe twisted his body until he was able to get into a sitting position. He then started to inch his way toward his brother. Frank knew not to move until Joe was next to him.

It took Joe several minutes to turn his body until his fingers brushed up against Frank's bound hands. With grunts and cursing, he began working on the rope. Joe started moving his fingers until the tips found the knots. "_Great_. This is gonna take a while."

Silence filled the room as Joe struggled desperately to loosen his brother's rope. Whatever he tried, it just seemed to do no good.

Again, Tony's desperate cries for help pierced the silence.

"Nooo! Help me... Frank... Joe! Help Me!"

"Joe, we don't have a while! We need to get to Tony now!"

"I know! I know!" Joe groaned in frustration as his fingers slipped between the knots of Frank's ropes.

Frank gasped at the sudden rush of blood to his numb hands when the rope loosened around his wrists. The pain tingling and excruciating, he pulled one hand free and groaned as the muscles in his arms and shoulders began to protest. "God this hurts," he murmured, but honestly, he didn't care. Frank blocked out the pain by focusing on getting out of here and finding Tony.

"Hold on, Frank," Joe said, breaking into Frank's thoughts. "I almost got it."

"I know Joe. Just hurry."

Finally the rope broke free from Frank's wrists. Frank moaned and rubbed his sore appendages. "Thanks, little brother."

"Anytime, big brother. Now hurry and get me loose," Joe commented. "We need to get to Tony."

Just then, another terrified cry for help from Tony broke out into the atmosphere. "Help! Frank... Joe... help me!"

After a few minutes, Frank freed Joe from his ropes. The brothers immediately got to their feet and raced to the door. Frank looked through the metal bars to what appeared to be an empty hallway, the sound of Tony's screams echoing through it... "Nooo! Let me go... please no... Frank! Joe! God! Help me..."

Joe pulled hard on the handle. "It's locked!"

"Do you have your lock-pick?" Frank asked, praying the answer was yes. Frank was always insisting that Joe carried a lock-pick on him at all time; just as a pro-caution. Whether they were working on a case or not, the brothers were always falling victim to one of father's enemies. Being the youngest and most vulnerable of the two, Joe had always been an easy target in situations like this.

Joe could always be found locked up in a truck or room, and Frank knew it was one of his little brother's biggest fears. It was their secret... survival technique both brothers knew very well. They suspected that Fenton knew about the lock-pick, but he would just never let on.

"If they haven't taken it..." Joe shook his head, then slide his hand down his pocket. "It's in the left pocket of my jeans."

A big smile spread across Frank's face when Joe pulled out a lock-pick. "Yes! Now work your magic, little brother!"

Joe wasted no time working his magic picking the lock. "Come on, come on!" he chorused. Finally, the handle moved with a loud click. The door opened to freedom.

"Yes! We're... out of ... here! Hold on, Tony, we're coming!"

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know if this story is worth continuing. I haven't been receving a lot of reviews. Not sure why? Should I continue or not?<strong>

**Also the rest of this story takes place in Siena Tuscany, Italy. I don't know anything about Italy. I have been trying to read up on it. If an one is interested in me helping with this part, please let me know.**

**Please Review! Please Review! Please Review! Thank You!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to thank everyone for your wonderful reviews. They are really encouraging and has inspired me to continue this story. Keep the reviews coming! I have been working really hard on this, so I hope you like it. :)**

Don't own the Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

Chapter 5

* * *

><p>"Yes! We're... out of ... here! Hold on, Tony, we're coming!" Joe exclaimed, he was almost out the door, when Frank pulled him back into the room.<p>

"Joe, wait a second."

"What?" Joe said, getting all impatient.

"Joe, this could be a trap."

"Frank, even if it is..." Joe's voice trail off, he a swallowed lump in his throat, As Tony's desperate cries for help pierced through hallways. _"Nooo! Help me... Frank... Joe! Help Me!"_

"You know, we have to check it out anyway."

"I know." Frank let out a deep sigh, taking the lead he looked up and down the empty hallway. He could feel cold and drafty air with the stale, and wet, smell of mildew. It reminded him of a basement or cellar, leaving Frank wondering if they were underground.

Then the sound of Tony's terrified screams, shook Frank out of his thought _"Nooo! Let me go... please no... Frank! Joe! God! Help me..."_

"We have to be careful and stay on our toes." Frank said while raking a hand nervously through his hair. There was an uneasy feeling the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure what they were walking into. All he could think about was getting Tony and, getting the hell out of this place.

"You stay by my side," Frank warned his little brother," If you do anything stupid..."

"...I know. I know. You'll kill me." Joe retorted, "Frank, I got it. ...I can't promise you..."He started to say, but stopped catching the serious look in Frank's eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll try."

"Come on let's go," Frank replied, just shaking his head.

Joe nodded okay.

* * *

><p>The brothers cautiously stepped out the door. Making their way down the hallway, as haunting thoughts of what was happening to their friend flooded their minds. Knowing they were playing a big risk, but they didn't care. Tony's life was at stake.<p>

_"THE HARDY BOYS ARE GONE!"_Suddenly a voice roared out.

"It's Cypher!" Joe whispered his heart started pounding out of his chest. The sound of thunderous foots steps could be heard coming down the hallway. And, they were coming their way!

Frank looked around frantically for a place to hide. Then he spotted a door just a few feet from them.

"Come on!" He and Joe ran to the door. Frank's hand lands on the doorknob, praying it wasn't locked, twisting the knob. "Thank you God." He said thankfully when the door opened; he quickly stumbled inside with Joe right beside him before anyone spots them.

"Do you think they spotted us?" Joe asked, breathlessly.

"I don't know." Frank replied, trying to catch his breath, then opened the door slightly a crack and peaked out. Cypher, Wilkes and Vinny ran passed them in a blur disappearing into another room.

_"WHAT YOU MEAN THEY'RE GONE!"_ A voice exploded from inside the room cursing in something in Italian.

Frank and Joe faces paled, they both knew who the voice belonged to. They looked at each other. "Santos!"

"YOU IDIOTS!" Santos voice raged on, "FIND THE HARDY BOYS! OR YOU THREE WILL BE DEALING ME... Frank quickly shut the door, as the Cypher, Wilkes, and Vinny came barreling out of the room.

"Frank, what do we do?" Joe asked, doing his best not to panic.

Frank's mind was racing trying to figure away to get them out of this. His eyes started scanning the room.

He gasped in shock. "Joe, look."

Joe followed his brother's gaze. He too gasped in shock, "Tony!"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, an unconscious Tony who was strapped to a table in what like an operating room of a hospital with a white bandage around his head. His chest was barely moving. There were machines and monitors all around the room making noises with wires sticking in and, out of his head and body. The only clothing Tony had on was a pair of gray sweatpants.

_"What the hell is Heartless doing to him?" Joe thought to himself_, he felt anger building up inside of him. Heartless is going too paid for hurting Tony.

Joe immediately goes up to Tony and, gently lays a hand on his arm. He whispers softly, "Tony?"

All of a sudden Tony wake up screamed hysterically, pulling against the restrains on his feet and wrists. "Nooo! Not again...I...can't take it anymore... Frank! Joe! God! Somebody Help me...

"Tony... It's me Joe," Joe said in a soft voice, noticing the fear and confusion in Tony's eyes. "Frank and I are right here. It's okay."

"That's right Tony." Frank added, as Joe began freeing Tony from the straps to his feet and wrists. "You're safe. We're going to get you out of here.

Tony continues to cry out, "Don't...hurt...me...please...Don't...hurt...me!

Frank knew right away that Tony was going into a full-blown panic attack.

"Tony look at me." Frank said firmly. "I promise you. We're not going to hurt you. We are going to get you out of here." He was silently praying that his word was true. "Now, take slow and steady breaths. Try to calm down."

Tony did as Frank had instructed, listening to his calming voice. "Its okay, Tony, just try to stay calm. Just picture Little Antonio in your arms. You'll be holding him real soon."

To Frank's relief, Tony finally began to calm down. After a few minutes, his breathing was back to normal.

"Tony, what is all of this stuff?" Joe asked, looking around the room at all machines, monitors Tony was all hooked up to. "What have they doing to you?"

"I don't know." was they got from Tony, and then he went got all quite. Joe exchanging looks with Frank,th ey both knew there was something going on here.

As soon as Tony was free from the restrains. He sat up started pulling the wires from his body.

The brothers quickly took in Tony's shocking appearance. He looked so pale, and his lips were almost a purplish color. There were dark circles around his brown eyes, his skin felt cold and clammy. There was dried blood under his nostrils and, he looked so sick... as if the life was still slowly draining out of him. They both had to hold on to him to keep him from falling over.

Tony started climbing off the table, and then suddenly he collapses on the floor.

"Tony!" Frank kneels next to Tony and places two fingers under his neck. "He's alive," He said, "But he has a weak pulse."

"Tony, Tony can you hear me?"

Tony opened his eyes slightly, "Frank... help me." came out in a whisper.

"Frank what are going to do?" Joe letting out a frustrated sigh, "There is no way we're going to get out of here with him like this. Tony can barely stand up."

After a quick pause Frank spoke up." We'll just have to take turns carry him on our backs. Help me get Tony to set up. We have to get him to a hospital."

"Okay I'm with you brother. Let's get out of here, before Santos shows up." Joe agreed, helping Frank get Tony in a sitting position.

Then his eyes fell on to Tony's back. "Frank, look at Tony's back!"

"Oh dear God." Frank's mouth dropped in shock, The Heartless insignia was carved on his back. Then Frank was hit with the chilling words of," The Prito boy is ours...Joe Hardy is next! Whatever Heartless did to Tony? Joe would be next!

"There was no way Heartless is getting his hands on my brother!"

Frank quickly shook the thought out of his head. Getting Joe and Tony out of here was his main focus "Okay, Joe help me get Tony on to my back..."

Suddenly the sound of the door was violently kicked open. Frank and Joe whirled around, to see Santos, Cypher, Vinny and Wilkes standing in the doorway."

"You can't leave yet." Santos giving, Frank an evil grin. "The fun is, just getting started."

He turns to Cypher, Wilkes and Vinny, He orders," Leave us. I want to have a little chat with our friends."

* * *

><p>As the three recruiters left the room following, the Heartless's orders. Frank watched with pure hatred in his eyes as the man entered the room.<p>

" So it's true, Santos. You are alive." Frank said in disbelief, that the former leader of Heartless was indeed standing right before him. The man's dark-hair was slicked back, and wearing an _Armani _tailored black suit and looking strong and fierce. The expression on his face was stone cold. Frank knew under all of that, Santos was a very dangerous man.

"Now, first off. Let's get one thing straight." The Heartless leader replied coolly," Santos doesn't exist anymore. As I have explained to Prito. I am Sei Duro."

Sei Duro looks at Tony, "Your friend doesn't look so good."

Frank looked at Tony his eyes glued to Sei Duro. He then starts backing away until his back was against a wall; He drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. His body was shaking.

Then Tony starts whimpering out in Italian, "Nooo! Not again... Don't...hurt...me! Please...Don't...hurt...me!"

Frank and Joe both got to their feet and, stood protectively in front of Tony.

"Stay away from him." Frank hissed, " You've done enough to him already. . ."

"I can't do that."

"Why? What have you done to Tony?!"

Sei Duro gives him an icy stare, ignoring Frank's question replies back," Prito signed a contract his is apart of Heartless. He belongs to me now."

"Tony doesn't belong to you!" Joe shot back clutching his fist into a ball." The only reason he is in Heartless; is because you forced him too. _You wanted him to kill me!" _

Your daughter Angela_..._ who gave him... the _gun_!" he ranted on, looking at Tony. "He either had to kill me or himself..."

"You almost cost Tony his life and mine!"

Sei Duro seemed unable to reply to this, so Joe went on.

"You took his son..._your_ grandson, Antonio... away from him! _You and Angela __just keeps on torturing_ the _hell_ out him. All because, he saw a murder _you committed __last summer in Italy._

_"There's another reason Sei Duro; you keep torturing him." Frank added," Tony has something you want...a son__. You are obsessed with having a son, to carry on the family name, and to run the business."_

"Frank and I are Little Antonio's guardians," Joe simply stated. "We made a promise to protect him as well as Tony. We won't let you hurt either of them ever again."

"You don't need Tony...besides that...you have us."

There was a heavy of silence in the air. An evil grin spread across Sei Duro's face, and let out a chuckle breaking the silence.

"That's right Joseph, I do have you." Sei Duro grabs a hold of Joe's left arm and pushed up his shirt sleeve revealing the scar from the knife wound D.K. Mathers had given him.

"You are a part of Heartless as well."

"No!" Joe shouted, jerking his arm out of Sei Duro's hands.

"You can't have my brother!" Frank snapped, going into big brother mode," Mathers gave him that scar. The contract would be invalid."

"Aw yes...however...don't forget...I am Heartless. I _let_ Mathers join forces with me, to seek his revenge against the boy who murdered his brother. He created the infamous hit list. A million dollars, for each Hardy dead, or alive."

"If you only knew, how much you boys are worth." Sei Duro turns to Joe in a cold chilling voice, "You have a lot of enemies, who would love to get their hands on you. I would be a very rich man. Not that, I need the money."

"I just went along with in because; I knew that the great Detective Fenton Hardy has been investigating me for months."

There was a short pause then, Sei Duro continues. "However, I'm after something bigger...

".. What like playing God with people, by messing with their minds," Frank said, sarcastically."Sei Duro you are crazy."

Ignoring Frank's remarks, Sei Duro looks at Tony and says, "You'll find out soon enough." Sei Duro's voice suddenly, becoming cold and icy." It will be mine blowing. Don't underestimate my power boys. I always get what I want, and no one can stop me...Not even the great Detective Fenton Hardy himself."

There was a smothering silence that filled the room, waiting for someone to speak,

"There's one thing you should know, Sei Duro" Frank said breaking the silence.

"What's that?"

"Don't ever underestimate a Hardy."

Joe held his breath as Sei Duro walks up to Frank, Giving him an icy stare, "You think you can beat me."

"Yes I do." Frank's eyes locked on to Sei Duro's with intensity, in a matter-of-fact tone. Refusing to be intimidated he said, "Joe and I are taking Tony out of here. If you try to stop us, you will regret it."

"You seem like a bright, intelligent boy. Full of confidence too."

"I am."

"Alright, then let's find out..." Sei Duro shouts out,

"Cypher! Wilkes! Vinny get in here!"

With in seconds Cypher, Wilkes, and Vinny came barreling out of the room.

"Let's go boys," Sei Duro ordered; keeping his eyes locked on to Frank, He pulls out a hand gun from his back pocket, aiming it at Joe's head. Don't try anything stupid or your brother dies!"

Frank would have liked nothing more than to tear the man apart, but he had to stay in control for Joe and Tony's sake.

Frank keeled in front of Tony, in a calming voice, he said, "Tony, look at me, and only me."

Tony looks up at Frank with fear in his eyes, practically in tears, "W...who are you? W...hat...do you want?!"

"Tony, don't you recognize me? It's Frank"

Tony just shook his head, "No. Who are you?" Frank and Joe was completely stud by this. It seemed like Tony has lost his memory.

"Tony I'm a friend," Frank simply stated vowing to himself to find out what Heartless has done to his friend, "Heartless will paid dearly for hurting Tony,"

Then he turns to Tony and says out loud, "I promise you, Tony, everything will be okay. Just trust me."

Tony just looked at Frank and nods, "Okay." He didn't know why, but something told him to trust him.

"Come on let go!" Sei Duro shouted losing patience.

Frank and Joe held on to Tony to support him and, followed Sei Duro and, his three recruiters out of the room.

The boys were led down a hallway stopping in front of some stone steps leading up to a cellar door.

Frank watch as Cypher ran up the steps to unlock the door. As the door creaked open revealing a beautiful night sky filled with stars.

"You're in my territory now boys."

"I am giving the three of you, until dawn to escape from my Tuscan villa. _If_ you get lucky and find, your way out. You win and, are free to go."

"But _if_ I find you. You loose and, the three belong to me." Sei Duro turns to Frank giving him any icy stare, "Let's see how bright, intelligent and confident you really are."

"Like I said before, Sei Duro," Frank replies back with out hesitating, glaring at Heartless.

"Never underestimate a Hardy."

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><p><strong>If you want another chapter. Please review! thank you!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to anyone who is reading my story. It means a lot.**

**Don't own the Hardy Boys and I don't own Italy either. I am trying hard to do my research Italy, please don't be offended if things are not right.**

**The Hardy Boys**

**Mind Games**

**Chapter 6**

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><p>The three boys spent practically half the night stumbling through the beautiful, four-thousand and two-hundred acres of Sei Duro's Tuscan Villa estate, which sat on top of a secluded mountain-side with a 360-degree view of the gently rolling Tuscan landscape. Frank could easily take in the spectacular view of the surrounding vineyards and countryside, protected by thousands of hectares of forest with olive groves and cypresses that had most of the estate fenced off.<p>

Unfortunately for him, however, he didn't have time to stop and admire the view. Frank's mind was reeling from everything that had happened to him just a few hours before, so much so that he could barely process it all. He rubbed his tired eyes, his body absolutely begging for sleep, but he refused to give in. Instead he focused on getting Joe and Tony away from Heartless clutches. It was the only thing that mattered. However, that focus didn't stop a series of horrible images running through his head, the most striking of which being the memory of his friend Tony lying unconscious with a white bandage wrapped around his head, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants and strapped to a table. The room was fully equipped with machines, and with monitors all around him, it looked like an operating room of a hospital.

Frank thought about this for a moment. _Had_ they operated on him? Judging from the white bandage around Tony's head, and the boy's genuinely shocking appearance, it was obvious something was done to him. But what?

Frank glanced over at Tony, who was asleep as Joe carried him on his back. He looked so pale, and his lips were almost a purplish color. He still had dark circles around his brown eyes, and his skin felt cold and clammy by the touch. Dried blood had collected under his nostrils and he just looked so sick. Frank and Joe both had to hold onto him to keep him from falling over immediately upon being stood up. There was no way Tony could walk out of this place in his condition, so he and Joe took turns carrying Tony on their backs in a fireman's carry.

Frank shuddered at the thought of the Heartless insignia, a black heart, that they had found carved onto the boy's back. But the most startling part of it all, that had Frank even more concerned, was Tony loosing his memory.

_"What the hell did Heartless do to him?" Frank thought to himself. _He felt fury building up inside of him as he remembered the fear and confusion in Tony's eyes. Hearing his friend's terrified voice scream out, "Nooo! Not again... I... can't take it anymore... Frank! Joe! God! Somebody Help me..." was just too much. And followed by "Don't... hurt... me... please... Don't... hurt... me!" it almost brought tears to his eyes.

"I promise you, Tony, we won't stop until we find out what Sei Duro did to you," Frank vowed. Suddenly, however, he was hit with the chilling memory of the words, "The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!"

Whatever Heartless did to Tony, they were _not_ above doing it to Joe! But as far as Frank was concerned, there was no way Heartless was getting his hands on his brother! "I have to get Joe and Tony out of here!" Frank thought, but he quickly shook the thought out of his head and got back to focusing.

The brothers quickly and carefully made their way down a steep and narrow footpath. Frank looked up to see the dawn light arising in a milky haze over the Cyprus trees.

"This place is huge," Joe grumbled as he straddled Tony on his back. "We have been walking forever. We're never gonna make it!"

The tone of his brother's voice immediately got Frank's attention. He could see the mixed emotions on Joe's face, and he knew right away that his little brother needed to vent or else he would exploded.

"Go ahead, Joe. Spill it. We don't have time for this. In about an hour Heartless will be coming after us. We have to get off this mountain... and fast."

Joe responded quickly. "It's nothing... I'm fine."

Then he was all silence, turning his head away from Frank.

"Joe, stop for a second," Frank said, placing his hands gently on his brother's shoulders, he forced Joe to stop walking, making his little brother face him.

"I told you, Frank, I'm fine."

"Joe, talk to me."

"I'm fine!"

There was silence for a moment, but neither brother spoke a word.

"Why don't you let me carry Tony for a while?" Without a word, Joe carefully transferred Tony onto Frank's shoulders, sighing as the weight lifted itself from his back. Once Frank had Tony securely on his shoulders, he turned back to Joe. "Okay now, little brother, talk to me."

"I... I'm just so tired, angry, and frustrated." Joe let out a heavy sigh, breaking his silence and feeling a little embarrassed for finally admitting it. "And... kind of scared."

Frank nodded in understanding, letting his brother know that it was okay to feel this way.

"That exchange between you and Sei Duro really scared the hell out of me. I thought he was going to kill you right in front of me." Tears started forming in Joe's eyes as he struggled to hold them back. "I was so scared when I thought I had lost you in the warehouse bombing. I just don't want to go through another heartache like that again."

Frank reached over to squeeze his little brother's shoulder in comfort. He waited patiently for Joe to continue. "Then there's Tony. Tony is a good person. He would never do anything to cause harm to anyone. He's the kind if person who would give you the shirt off his back if you ask him too. I'm not saying he's perfect or anything... okay, maybe he has made some mistakes... but then, who hasn't? It just hurts to see him like this..."

Joe paused to take a breath, and after all he'd been saying, Frank couldn't blame him. "I mean, why Frank? It doesn't make any sense. Why would they do this to him? Is it because of the murder he saw last summer? Or may it's us. Maybe Sei Duro is using Tony to play some sick little game. I don't understand. What did Heartless do to him, Frank?"

Frank sighed. He wanted to know the answer to this question as much as Joe did.

**"**Tony looks like he has been through an operation," Joe noted, speaking the words as fury boiled up inside of him and looking at his friend sleeping on his brother's shoulders. "When Tony saw us, he really was scared to death... he didn't even know who were. It's almost like he has lost his memory or something. Something just isn't right. We can't let Heartless get away with this."

Frank sighed. He had a lot on his mind that he needed to say, too.

"Joe, first off, I'm sorry for scaring you," Frank apologized, feeling sick as he let Joe's words sink into his mind. "I did what I had to do to get you and Tony away from Heartless. Trust me, Joe, I'm angry as hell. I want nothing more than to tear Sei Duro apart limb-by-limb for hurting Tony."

Frank took a deep breath to calm himself, doing his best to stay in-control and keep his anger from surging up again. "I'm not going to let Heartless get his hands on you either, and right now, Joe, our first priority is to get Tony to a doctor. I promise you, little brother, once Tony is out of here and in a safe place, Heartless will get what's coming to him."

After a few minutes, Joe took a deep breath to calm down. He knew Frank was right; they had to stay calm and focused... for Tony's sake, above anything else. "Okay, let's get out of here."

Frank was about to respond when all of the sudden he heard a voice whisper out something in Italian.

"Psst... qui ti aspettiamo!

"Over here!"

Frank whirled around to see a dark-headed boy, about his age but more slender than Joe's athletic frame. The boy was standing behind a cypress tree, beckoning them with his hand and looking extremely serious. Again in Italian he whispered, "Psst.. qui ti aspettiamo!

"Come please!" the boy whispered, this time in English, and beckoned again for the brothers to come over to him.

"What do you think?" Joe whispered worriedly, eying the boy with caution.

"I think we should see what he wants," Frank replied. "And remember what I said before; we have to be careful and stay on our toes."

With Tony on his back, Frank and Joe scrabbled over to the boy, ready to run if things went down the wrong path.

"Who are you?" Frank asked hesitantly.

"Enrique Benedetto. You can call me Ricky," the Italian boy answered nervously.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my brother Matteo."

"You think he's here?"

"I don't know," Ricky answered in broken English. "We come from poor family... just me, my mother, and brother. Matteo... he's my older brother. He took a job at a _Santos_ restaurant in Florence."

Frank nodded to show he was listening.

"One night he came home from work... Matteo very nervous, would not eat or sleep."

"Did he say what happened?" Frank asked, growing concern.

"Matteo say the owner of the _Santos _is a very bad man and I have to stay 'way from him. He say he had to become a Heartless." Ricky's voice quivered, tears dancing in the corners of his eyes. "Matteo say no."

Tears continued to run down Ricky's face. "The next day... two very big men come in our home with guns. They start to come for me. Matteo yells for me to run. He tries to fight them, but the men grab him."

That sounded oddly familiar to Frank. He shuddered despite himself.

"A man with dark-hair and black suit, calling himself Sei Duro, came into our home," Ricky' voice said again, heavy with emotion. "He say to my brother he had to become a Heartless or... he would take me. Matteo agreed. He cut my brother's arm and then his own, then pressed their wounds together, and says to my brother, _you now belong to Heartless, you belong to me_. They took him, and he's missing for three days. I fear he is dead... but I not stop until... I find my brother."

Frank and Joe exchanged looks with each other, completely stunned as they let Ricky's word sink in. They both knew very well how Ricky was feeling. Frank turned to Ricky, saying, "Ricky, we are very sorry about you brother. Believe me, we know exactly how you're feeling. Joe and I will do everything in our power to find out what happened to your brother."

A smile spread across Ricky's face. His voice quivered, fighting back tears. "Thank you_..."  
><em>

Reason then began to flood his mind, however, as looking at Frank and Joe he asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Frank Hardy, and this is my brother Joe. We are from Bayport, a small town outside of New York. We have been kidnapped by the same people who took your brother. Our father is a Detective... my brother and I sometimes help him on his cases." Frank gave a slight nod towards Tony on his shoulders. "Heartless hurt our friend Tony. He needs a doctor."

Ricky looked concerned at this.

"Will you help us?" Frank asked.

"Si."

"Can you tell us where we are?"

"Si," Ricky nodded. "Siena Italy."

"Uh... I hate to cut this short," Joe said anxiously, "But those same bad men are coming after us very soon. Do you know a way off this villa?"

"Si, come, I show you..."

The brothers quickly and carefully followed Ricky down the narrow footpath. They knew that were playing a big risk, but they simply didn't care. Tony's life was at stake, and theirs, and that was worth everything. They just wanted to get as far away from Heartless as possible.

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><p>To be continued..., Let me know what you think? Do you want more chapters? Please Review! :-)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you those who are reading this story and to everyone for your reviews.

Here is a new chapter just for you! Hope you like it.

Don't own the Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

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><p><strong>Florence Italy:<strong>

Fenton stood outside on the terrace of the Prito's family home in Florence, Italy. Back in Bayport, Sam had informed him about the heavy Heartless activity in Siena Tuscany, Italy, and it had left him with a lot to think about. He had found his way here as fast as possible, but he didn't want to make his presence in Italy known quite yet. It would tip-off Heartless, possibly causing even more harm to all three boys. Aldo Prito had wanted to help in the search for his son and the Hardy brothers after being told there was a possibility the boys were being held somewhere in Siena Italy, so Aldo had made arrangements for Fenton, Sam, Laura, Angela, and himself to stay at his family home.

Fenton graciously accepted Aldo's offer, of course, and they had just arrived a few hours ago to the old, beautiful, four-bedroom farmhouse. Aldo had explain to Fenton that Simone was proud of her Italian heritage. She wanted Tony to have a place that he could come to... some place that would remind of who he is and where he came from. It was one of the many gifts that she had left for Tony in her will. Aldo and his late-wife Simone had spent a lot of time and care last summer in Florence making it into their own little villa on a hill, overlooking the historic city. The place offered a quiet country retreat that's just minutes from the bustling city, and there were parts of the villa that dated back to Simone's family in the 16th century. It combined a traditional Tuscan elegant style with modern amenities.

Fenton saw exactly what Simone meant as he watched the sunrise over the beautiful city. He was in awe as the _Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,_ one of the cities cultural, artistic, and architectural gems, came into view. He could get lost spending a week or more exploring the great city. However, there was one trip he had his mind-set on: going to Siena Tuscany, just forty-three miles away. A trip to that would hopefully lead him to finding Frank, Joe, and Tony, freeing them from the hands of Heartless.

_"Santos knows that I would move heaven and earth to find my sons. The fact that Tony is in the middle of this sick game doesn't make things any easier."_

Again, the words "_The Prito boy is ours... Joe Hardy is next!" _along with_ "You wanna play games, Detective?" _rang in his ears, followed by the sound of Tony's terrified screaming for help playing over and over again in his head. "_God... please help me find the boys,"_ he thought._"Let them be alright."_

As he looked over the city once more, his face scrunched up in determination.

_"Hang on, boys! I'm coming!"_

"Fenton?"

Quickly shaking the thought out of his head, Fenton turned, hearing his wife's voice. Sure enough, Laura was standing in the doorway. She had insisted on coming to Italy, refusing to stay home worrying herself sick over her family and wanting to be here close to them. Fenton was grateful that he agreed to let her come; she had been his pillar of strength and support that he needed to keep going. Laura came up beside him, and he could see her beautiful blue eyes filled with worry, trying so hard to be strong and brave for the boys.

"Fenton, are you alright?" she asked.

Fenton let out a heavy sigh, saying, "I'm fine, Laura."

"No, you're not," Laura argued. Noticing Fenton rubbing his tired eyes, she knew very well that he was pushing himself, his body running on adrenaline and fatigue by staying in control for everyone else's sake.

"Fenton, I know you're tired; you haven't slept in days. Why don't you try to get some rest before you and Sam head out to Siena?"

"Laura, I can't sleep now, knowing the boys are in danger," Fenton replied, wrapping his strong arms around her and gently kissing her forehead. "I have to find the boys, Laura... and put Heartless away for good."

Laura looked up at her husband, sighing. She knew there was no point in arguing with him. When his family was threatened, Fenton took it very personal. He would work himself non-stop to keep everyone safe.

"I know you will."

They both walked back into the house, lost in their thoughts.

Suddenly, Sam and Aldo came rushing downstairs. There was a look of panic on Aldo's face.

"Aldo, what's wrong?!" Fenton asked.

"They're gone!"

"Who?"

"Angela and the baby are gone!"

"What do you mean gone?"

Angela was his only link to Santos, and his only lead in finding Frank, Joe, and Tony. It took a lot of convincing and persuading on his part to get her to come back to Italy. She was dead set against coming here. Then finally, much to Aldo's dismay, it was her love and obsession over Tony that gave her the finale nudge.

Unfortunately, on the plane ride here, Angela had been very reluctant to give out any information on the whereabouts of either her father or Heartless. It was surprising considering Angela claimed that she didn't want anything to do with her father, but Fenton had suspected there was more to this girl's story**.**

"We've looked all over the place," Sam informed Fenton, "Some of the baby's things are missing, too."

All at once, Sam's words echoed in Fenton's ears. "We can't find Angela or Little Antonio."

"_Damn,_" Fenton silently cursed, mentally kicking himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. He had been so focused of the boys and Heartless that he'd completely forgot about Angela.

"I can't lose Antonio, too..." Aldo slowly sat down on the sofa, his voice trailing off. "He's all I have left."

Fenton nodded in understanding, looking down at the man in sympathy.

"That kid means everything to my son. Tony went through hell last summer having to deal with losing his mother and Santos... it almost cost him his life." Aldo looked up at Fenton and Laura, his voice heavy with emotion. "Antonio has been really good for Tony; it's like his is himself again and his anxiety goes away. He was recovering well from his PTSD." Fenton could hear the anger rise up in Aldo's voice.

"Tony was trying so hard to get his life back, graduating high school with his friends and going to college. The life Santos took away from him. If the worse case happens and Tony is... dead... well then, I've mentally prepared myself for that. But what I am afraid of is when I _do_ get him back alive."

He starts firing off questions, fidgeting a bit. "How will I get him back? What kind of state will he be in mentally? Will my son be so broken that not even Dr. Stevens can fix him? I don't want to have to put him in some hospital for the mentally ill..."

Aldo voice trailed off, and he gulped before continuing to speak, his eyes misting. "Tony's trust in people has been completely broken ever since this nightmare started with Santos. He's afraid of getting close to anyone. It took him a long time to even trust me."

Aldo looked at Fenton as his voice quivered, fighting back tears. "I sat in on one of Tony's therapy sessions with Dr. Stevens one day when we were staying at the safe house. Tony said something I'll never forget... The only reason my son stays alive is because of Frank and Joe. When Santos took Antonio away from Tony, my son knew he could count on Frank and Joe to find him, because he trusted them to keep their word and they did just that.

"Frank and Joe restored Tony's trust in people the moment they put Antonio back in his arms and saved him from Santos. He looks up to them and thinks of them as his brothers.

"Frank and Joe are his heroes."

Fenton stood beside Aldo, completely stunned by his words and not really sure how to respond to them.

Frank and Joe just thought of themselves as normal teenagers**. **Fenton knew his sons intentions were never directed towards becoming _heroes_. Being detectives and solving cases is what they did, not who they were. They believed in making the world a better place by fighting for what was right and helping those who couldn't help themselves, and Fenton couldn't have possibly loved them more.

"I guess, in a way, they _have_ become heroes... someone kids can look up to." Fenton couldn't help but feel proud at this, but before Fenton could respond, the sound of the doorbell ringing got everyone's attention. Sam went to answer it, and when he came back, he had serious look on his face.

"Fenton, my contact is here."

"Sam who..."

Fenton's heart almost dropped when a short, balding man with a little gray hair, gray eyes, and wearing a gray suit and glasses stepped into the room. He was the Gray Man... a high-up member of top-secret crime fighting organization called the Network. On top of everything else, this was something he didn't need now. He knew right away, by Gray showing up, that he wasn't here to bring good news.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Fenton, but I have some news about Heartless. I guarantee you won't like what you hear."

To be continue ...Review please Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

(I don't own the Hardy Boys or Italy)

The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

Chapter 8

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><p>"Fenton, my contact is here."<p>

"Sam, who..."

Fenton's heart almost dropped when a short, balding man with a little gray hair, gray eyes, and a gray suit and glasses stepped into the room. He was the Gray Man... A high-up member of a top-secret crime fighting organization called the Network. On top of everything else going on at the moment, this was something Fenton most definitely _didn't_ need. He knew right away, by Gray's mere presence, that he wasn't here to bring good news.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Fenton, but I have some news about Heartless. I guarantee you won't like what you hear."

The man had been here too seconds and already Fenton knew he was right. His heartbeat sped up in his chest.

"How did you know to find me here?" Fenton asked.

He and his sons had had their differences with the Network agent, agreeing and disagreeing on different views of justice. However, they recently called a truce to their bickering, agreeing to work together in the fight against Heartless. Fenton also had a new-found respect for the man after he helped save the lives of his sons and their friends' in the Bayport warehouse bombing caused by Heartless.

"I called him to inform about the boys being kidnapped," Sam spoke up. "Thought he could help us since he was already in Italy trying to find out all he could on Heartless."

"Who are you?" Aldo asked, eying the Gray Man with extreme caution.

"You can call me Gray. Unfortunately, all I am allowed to tell you is that I'm here to help you and stop Heartless." Gray turned to Fenton, handing him a thick folder containing numerous files.

"I take it Heartless has been very busy," Fenton said dryly. When he opened up the folder, staring at him was a picture of a man, and he immediately started reading his profile. The man was in his late sixties with short grey hair, of average height, and wearing a white coat. Fenton immediately recognized him.

"This is Dr. Marsalis, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why is he important?" Fenton asked. "What do you know about the heavy Heartless activity in Siena?"

He saw a flicker of hesitation in the Gray Man's face, but the man said nothing.

"Gray, just spit it out. We don't have time for this. Our boys' lives are at stake here."

Gray let out a deep breath before saying, "We found out Dr. Marsalis is actually a neuroscientist. He and a team of researchers have figured out how to control and monitor the activities of mice by implanting microchips in their brains..."

"What does this have to do with our missing boys?!" Laura interrupted.

"Do you know where the boys are?" Aldo asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Prito, but I do not. However, Mrs. Hardy, I'm afraid it has a lot to with your boys." Gray nodded at Fenton. "If you look through the file, you will find photos of three teenage boys."

Fenton started flipping through the file until he came across the first picture of a teenage boy named Matteo Benedetto. The boy was around the same age as Frank, Joe, and Tony. Fenton's face paled at the sight of the boy's bruised and battered face and body, and his stomach tightened as he was hit by a wave of worry.

"Oh God, no!" Laura, Aldo, and Sam all gasped in shock as they looked over Fenton's shoulder at the picture in his hand.

"Matteo's body was found just three days ago in an alley behind _Santos_ eatery here in Florence Italy." Gray paused for a moment, noticing the stunned faces around him. "From what we were told, the boy worked as a waiter of the eatery."

He let them all absorb the information before continuing.

"The other two boys are Jase Bradley, age sixteen, and Bryce Cooper, age seventeen, who were reported missing by their parents in New York. That is the information Italian authorities were able to track down. They can't get anyone to come forward with information because of Heartless. Sei Duro has practically taken over the city as well as Siena. People are too scared of losing their lives."

"What happened to these boys?" Laura demanded.

"It says here that Matteo died of an Aneurysm." Fenton said, reading the file. "A weakening in a blood-vessel wall that swells, bursts, and bleeds into the brain, leading to a stroke."

He gave the Gray Man a questionable look. "The other two boys died the same way." Red flags started going up in his head. "This is too much of coincidence. How are they connected to Sei Duro?"

"All three boys are recruits. They all have the Heartless insignia carved onto their backs."

Fenton, Sam, Aldo, and Laura all looked at him expectantly, so Gray continued on.

"You see, Dr. Marsalis needed money, and lots of it, to fund his project. He ended up selling it to Sei Duro, who decided to take it a step further. Instead of using mice, we believe he is now using Heartless recruits as human guinea-pigs. They're hacking the human brain. Basically, what they're doing is planting a microchip about the size of a strand of hair into the optical nerve of the eye; it draws neuroimpulses from the brain that embodies the experiences, smells, sights, and voice of the implanted person. Think of it like someone hacking into your computer."

A cold chill down ran Fenton's spin at the analogy as he let Gray's words sink in.

"Once transferred and stored in a computer, these neuroimpulses can be projected back to the person's brain via the microchip to be re-experienced. It sends electromagnetic messages encoded as signals to the nervous system, affecting the target's performance. The person can be induced to see hallucinations and to hear voices in their head.

"With today's super technology, connecting our brain functions via microchips to computers poses the gravest threat to humanity. The latest supercomputers are powerful enough to monitor the whole world's population. Every thought, reaction, hearing, and visual observation causes a certain neurological potential, spikes, and then creates patterns in the brain and its electromagnetic fields, which can now be decoded into thoughts, pictures, and voices. Electromagnetic stimulation can therefore change a person's brainwaves and affect muscular activity, causing painful muscular cramps experienced as torture."

"So... with this microchip..." Sam said slowly, thinking out-loud. "A soldier can be programmed to forget things they saw on the battlefield. Prisoners can be programmed to forget about abuse or, worse, reprogrammed to commit treason; in other words, a real-life _Manchurian Candidate_. A person can be convinced to do things that they believe are unethical, such as committing murder?"

Fenton cut in, saying, "Basically, what you're implying is that Sei Duro can make a person do whatever he wants... using this microchip?"

The Gray Man nodded solemnly. "Yes. Your boys could become Sei Duro's next candidates."

"_What?!"_

Everyone in the room seemed to freeze, completely horror-struck.

"Tony... My Tony," Aldo's voice quivered, tears dancing in the corners of his eyes. Sam placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, trying hard to stay calm himself and at the same time cursing Heartless.

"No! My babies… Frank... Joe!" Laura cried. Fenton put his arms around her, trying to comfort her but doing little.

"Damn you, Sei Duro!" Fenton thought as he imagined Frank, Joe, and Tony in the hands of Heartless, being used as in some sort of science experiment like lab rats. He felt anger building up inside of him, impossible to control. He could see the mask of anger on Sam's face, too, and he knew exactly what his friend was thinking. They were both vowing to make sure that Heartless paid if anything at _all_ happened to those three boys.

"Fenton, you guys just go!" Laura said, pulling herself away from husband. "Aldo and I will stay here in case Angela and the baby come back, but you have to go now!"

"What?" Fenton started to ask, but Laura interrupted him.

"You, Gray, and Sam go to Siena and find the boys!"

"Yes, please Fenton, find our boys before it's too late," Aldo added, his voice heavy with emotion. "We'll take care of things here."

Fenton knew they were right. He gave Laura a quick hug, assuring her that the boys were alright. "We will find the boys, Laura... and put Heartless away for good."

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><p><strong>What do you think of my story so far? <strong>**Should I continue? ****  
><strong>

**(I have some questions about Siena Italy? PM me please. ****If anyone is interested in me helping I am kind of stuck.)**

**review thank you! **


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

**Siena**** Tuscany, Italy**

_"Why didn't Heartless come after us?"_ Frank thought to himself.

The brothers had expected a Heartless ambush hours ago. They kept looking over their shoulders every few minutes, waiting for Cypher, Wilkes, or Vinny to strike; they even half-expected Sei Duro himself to jump out of the bushes. They stayed alert, listening to ever sound they heard along the trail. To their surprise, however, nothing had happen... no sign of Heartless anywhere.

It gave him an uneasy feeling of not knowing what to expect. They were ready to defend themselves at all cost. Frank only knew one thing for sure: with Heartless, anything was possible. Then questions started running through his mind. _"What's Heartless up to? Is this a part of his sick game? He's probably waiting for the perfect time to pounce on us..."_ He started thinking back to the conversation he had with Sei Duro and stiffened despite himself.

_"I'm after something bigger..."_

_"What, like playing God with people by messing with their minds?" Frank had said sarcastically. "Sei Duro, you are crazy..."_

Frank remembered Tony's terrified reaction when Sei Duro looked at him and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Sei Duro's voice had suddenly become cold and icy as he'd said, "it will be mind-blowing. Don't underestimate my power, boys. I always get what I want, and no one can stop me... Not even the great detective Fenton Hardy himself."

_"Whatever is going on definitely involves Tony,"_ Frank thought to himself. He couldn't stop the series of horrible images of his friend Tony lying unconscious with a white bandage wrapped around his head, his body strapped to an operating table. Frank analyzed this for a moment. It was obvious they'd operated on him, which had caused him to lose his memory. But what was the purpose for that?

Suddenly, he was startled by the sound of Tony moaning "Ooh." The slow and shallow breathes he felt down the back of his neck made Frank fear his friend wasn't going to last much longer.

"Where's this kid taking us?" Joe complained in his brother's ear. "I'm tired, hungry, and... I think my legs are going to fall off from all this walking."

They had been following Ricky nearly two miles down a steep and narrow footpath through Sei Duro's four-thousand and two-hundred acre estate.

"I don't know, Joe. Wherever we're going, I hope we get there soon," Frank replied, his back feeling sore and stiff from carrying Tony for so long. "Tony can't take much more of this; he needs to get to a hospital."

Joe felt ashamed complaining about himself when his friend was literally fighting for his life. Tony still looked so pale and sick. Every so often they would stop to take a rest, but when he and Frank would ask him how he was doing, Tony would just respond back with. "W...Who are you? W...hat...do you want?" Sometimes he would say nothing at all, just give them a vacate stare as if trying to figure out who they were. They would spend at least five minutes convincing him _they were friends_. Then, finally, it was as if something would click in his head, and Tony would just look at them and nod. "Okay."

In truth, Joe was purposely trying to push the thought of Tony dying out of his head. He felt a surge of guilt building up inside of him. "_Why doesn't Heartless just come after us? Instead of going after people who are close to us?"_ he thought. _"First it was Iola murdered by the Assassins. Now it's Tony getting hurt by Heartless. All because of who we are and what we do._" He cast a worried glance over at Tony, who kept drifting in and out of consciousness as Frank carried him tirelessly on his back, a look of immense concern plaguing his face.

Joe thought angrily, "_I promise you, Tony. Heartless will pay for hurting you. It's not going to happen again!"_

There was a heavy silence in the air, as Joe got lost in his thoughts...

"Ricky, where are you taking us?" Joe heard Frank's voice boom out suddenly, breaking into his thoughts as he spoke to the Italian boy just a few feet ahead of them. "Are we even off Sei Duro's villa?"

"Si," Ricky nodded, speaking in broken English. :Soon we be at at my home. Almost there."

A few minutes later, a little stone country cottage came into view; it was situated on a hillside. "_Benevento a casa mea_, that means... welcome my home." Ricky translated as he swung open the door. A little cautious, the brothers followed the boy inside; Frank quickly took the place in. It was small but had a warm and cozy feel to it. There was a small rustic kitchen that opened up to the living room, making it more spacious with a fireplace.

Ricky led them down a hallway with three doors: one at the end and two across from it.

"Mama's room is at the end," he informed them. "And this is the _Bagno, _or a bathroom." He opened the bathroom door. Frank watched as Ricky walked slowly to the other door, leading to a room with two beds. One side of the room was messy and unorganized. The bed was unmade as books, CD's, and clothes littered the floor. There were even clothes sticking out of a drawer, clearly not folded. It reminded Frank of Joe's room at home.

The other side of the room, however, was completely the opposite; everything was neat and tidy. It was much more organized; a lot like his room. Frank's eyes landed on a perfectly made bed that looked like it hadn't been slept in for days.

"This is a... me and... this is the bedroom I share with Matteo," Ricky said sadly, struggling to get the words right.

Frank felt bad for the kid. He knew what it felt like being separated from Joe. They were more than just brothers; they were best friends, partners in crime solving. They were a team that completed each other, and without Joe... he just felt _in_complete. Frank wondered if Ricky and Matteo were as close as he and Joe. After what happened at the Bayport warehouse bombing, Frank vowed to himself he would never be separated from Joe ever again. "_I won't lose my, little brother."_

"Ooh..." The sound of Tony moaning in pain broke Frank out of his determined thoughts and got everyone's attention.

"You can a put your friend in Matteo's bed," Ricky said, nodding towards the bed.

"Thank you," Frank said, accepting gratefully. His back was feeling sore and stiff from carrying Tony for the last few hours.

Joe and Ricky carefully transferred Tony off of Frank's shoulders and onto the bed, Frank sighing as the weight lifted itself from his back. Once Tony was lying in the bed, he opened his eyes and looked up at Frank, his eyes foggy.

"Frank..." came out of his mouth in a soft whisper.

Frank was a little surprised at his friend acknowledging his name. He kneeled next to him, asking, "Tony, you know who I am?"

Tony just shook his head. "Yes." Frank and Joe exchanged looks with each other. They were wondering if Tony was starting to get his memory back.

Just to be sure, Frank pointed at Joe, asking, "Tony, do you know who this is?"

"Of course... that's Joe." Tony replied back, his voice getting stronger. He started looking around the room frantically. "This is not my room... where am I?"

With an array of painful grunts, cursing in Italian every time he moved, Tony threw the covers back and realized he was in gray sweatpants. Then his eyes landed on Ricky and confusion formed in his expression. "Who... are... you?"

"I'm Ricky; you're a in my home in Siena."

"Siena, Italy?"

"Si," Ricky replied.

"What... how'd I get here?" Tony asked, and than he moved his hand to his face and felt a white bandage wrapped around his head. He winced in pain at the contact. "Ow... my head hurts. Was I in an accident?"

Frank was just about to answer when all of the sudden Tony's eyes went wide and he went into panic-mode.

"Mom! Dad! Where… are my… parents?!" Tony started breathing heavily. He threw his hands to his head, crying out, "Owwww! My head... hurts! What has happened to me?!"

Making things even worse, Tony grabbed his chest, gasping for air. "I... can't... breathe!"

"Tony look at me," Frank said firmly, trying to stay calm. He placed a hand on his friend's trembling shoulder. "You're having a panic attack. Take slow and steady breaths. Calm down."

Tony saw the seriousness in Frank's eyes. He took slow and steady breaths as Frank instructed, listening to his calming voice.

"That's it, Tony," Joe encouraged his friend, kneeling beside his brother. "Just take slow and steady breaths. You're going to be okay. Just think of Little Antonio; I'm sure he is missing you. Once we get you to a doctor, you'll be feeling better in no time. You'll be holding him real soon."

Tony looked at Joe strangely. "Little Antonio... who's he?"

Joe exchanged looks with Frank and turned back to Tony, concern etching his face. "He's your son."

"Joe, what are you talking about? I don't have a son." Then Tony started firing off questions. "How did I get here? What's happening to me? Where's my dad... my mom?" And suddenly it hit him. "My... Mom... she's dead! He... killed... her!"

"Tony, what do you mean by he killed her?" Joe asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. He felt panic welling within him.

There was an eerie silence from Tony. Then, finally, it was as if something had click in his head again,

"You did this to me," Tony hissed, narrowing his eyes at Frank and Joe. "You two caused my accident!"

"What?!" Frank and Joe were completely shock. They knew something was very, very wrong with Tony.

Frank shook his head. "Tony, that's not true. Things are confusing for you right now. Someone did something to you, which is causing your head to hurt, but it wasn't us. I promise you, Tony, everything will be okay. Just trust me."

"Trust you?!" He face was suddenly full of fury. "I know exactly what's going on here! I've been kidnapped!" Tony nodded at Ricky. "You two, and your accomplice here, are trying to keep me quite."

Ricky's eyes widened in complete shock at this, not sure what to do. He'd never been accused of doing anything like this before.

Tony ranted on, "But I know the truth…"

"The truth?" Joe cut in. "Tony, you don't know what you're saying."

"Yes I do! Your father... Fenton Hardy... murdered my mother!" Tony fired back, puffing up his chest. "Stay… away from me. If you, or that father of yours, come anywhere near me..."

Frank's heart sped up when he realized what the boy was going to say.

"I _will kill you! That's a promise!"_

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><p><em>to be continue...what do you think? review! <em>


	10. Chapter 10

Don't own the Hardy Boys

Mind Games

_A cold chill ran down Frank's spin. He simply couldn't believe his friend was accusing them of causing him harm. He couldn't even fathom the idea of his father being a murderer. The expression on Tony's face suddenly became stone-cold, his eyes filled with nothing but pure hatred; and he was directing all this anger at them!_

This wasn't the Tony Prito he'd known since elementary schoo_l. _The Tony Prito he knew had a fun and carefree spirit, always cracking jokes along with Joe. The two of them would often compete with each other, just to see who could make their friends laugh first. Like Joe reminded him earlier, Tony was a genuinely good person. He would never do anything to cause harm to anyone. He was the kind if person who would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him too... everybody knew this to be the truth.

Frank thought back to the warehouse bombing, remembering how it was Phil, Chet, and Biff who had risked their own lives to save him and Joe_._ When Joe had fallen to his knees with a pain in his chest, it was _Tony_ who'd cradled Joe in his lap and tried to comfort and protect him. Despite all the hell Tony had been forced to endure in his own life, he somehow managed to push all of that aside to help Joe. Frank was grateful that Tony was there for his brother when he couldn't be.

This Tony Prito in front of him was becoming a stranger; to hear him say such hurtful words was like having a knife pierce his heart. Deep down, Frank knew that the Tony Prito he knew was locked away inside somewhere, feeling lost and scared and just waiting for his friends to save him. Frank refused to give up. Somehow, in some way, Frank was going to fight to get the friend he knew back.

"There is no way in _hell_ I'm letting Heartless have Tony," he vowed to himself. "I'll be _damned_, if the same thing happens to Joe."

Frank took a deep breath to calm down, raking his fingers through his hair before saying calmly, "Tony, If Joe and I had kidnapped you, don't you think we would have tied you up? The fact is... we're trying to save your life."

Tony raised his eyebrows at this, unbelieving even when faced with such solid logic, and so Frank continued.

"The three of us have been kidnapped by some bad people who call themselves Heartless. The leader, Sei Duro, is a very dangerous man. Tony... they're the ones who kidnapped you first from your home in Bayport."

"Bayport?" Tony asked. "Where is that?"

"That's where we live. It's a small town outside of New York in the United States. Does that ring a bell to you?" Joe asked.

Tony thought for a moment, than shook his head. "No."

"Joe and I were kidnapped from Bayport too; we woke up here in Siena Italy after being chloroformed in a locked room in Sei Duro's Villa," Frank went on, picking up the story where his brother had left off. "We heard you screaming for help in another room down the hallway from us."

He was getting no response from Tony, so Frank just kept going, hoping and praying for something to click in the boy's head.

"We managed to escape the room we were in. We found you, Tony, unconscious and strapped to a table in what looked like an operating room of a hospital... with that white bandage around your head. You had machines and monitors all around the room, making noises, and you had wires sticking in and out of your head and body. They did something to you. That's what's causing your head to hurt, and I guess it's somehow affecting your memory.

"Sei Duro let us go on purpose; he is playing some sick mind game with us. In your weakened condition, Tony, Joe and I had to carrying you. There was no way you could've walked out of that place on your own."

"We walked for nearly two miles with you," Joe cut in. "Frank carried you most of the way."

Frank nodded toward Ricky. The Italian boy, still a little shaken, stood quietly as he explained. "We meet Ricky along the way, and he brought us here to his home. Heartless, the same people who hurt you, took his brother."

"He's been missing for a three days." Ricky nodded as sadness filled his eyes. "I will not stop until... I find Matteo."

Tony looked concerned at this. Frank saw it: a little flicker in his friend's brown eyes. He knew that something was happening, so he went on to explain, "Sei Duro and his Heartless recruits were supposed to come after us hours ago. Only they haven't showed up. Unfortunately, Tony, you're somehow part of this."

There was silence again. Tony turned his head away, and Frank could see the wheels in his brain turning. He hoped his words were getting through to him.

"Do you expect me to believe all this?" Tony folded his arms to his chest, still not convinced. "That this Sei Duro person... used me as some sort of a science experiment, and somehow scrambled my brain?"

"Yes." Joe shook his head. "As crazy as it sounds, Tony, it's true. That's how we found you."

"Well, you know what, I don't believe you!" Tony snapped. "You're just filling my head with lies! You're all crazy! You and that murderer you call father!"

Joe's mouth dropped

"We didn't hurt you!" Joe shouted, anger rising in his voice. He couldn't stop the words from flying out of his mouth, his heart pounding out of his chest as he tried his best not to explode. "Our father did not kill your mother!"

This was his friend. He didn't want to fight with Tony, he wanted to help him... however, he wasn't going to just sit around and be accused of something he didn't do. And he as sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone accuse his father of being a murderer. Joe too saw the expression on Tony's face becoming stone cold, his eyes filling with pure hatred. It was crazy!

"Yes he did!" Tony spat.

Joe's face went pale, then brick-red. Frank responded by placing his hand calmly on Joe's shoulder to keep him from saying any more.

"Joe, stop. You have to remember that Tony isn't himself right now," Frank whispered in Joe's ear, struggling to control his own temper. "Take a step back and calm down before you say anything else."

Joe got to his feet and took a step back to cool his temper, his eyes never leaving Tony. Both of his hands were clutched furiously at his side. If it wasn't for the fact that Tony was his friend, and they were stuck in such a dire situation, he would tear him apart.

Turning his attention back to Tony, Frank calmly asked, "Tony, did you actually see Fenton Hardy kill your mother?"

Tony suddenly went quiet. Frank and Joe watched as he started fidgeting, then began picking at the designs on the quilt. They knew he was starting to get nervous; Frank hated doing this to him. He didn't what to trigger another one of those horrible panic attacks, but maybe that was what had to be done in order to help him. Frank knew he had to tread carefully.

Keeping his voice calm, he asked, "Tony, how do you know Fenton Hardy killed your mother?"

Still sitting in silence, Tony continued picking at the quilt.

"I...I don't know," he finally spoke up, stumbling on his words as his face flushed. "I... I just know he did."

"Did someone tell you he killed her?"

"I heard a voice," Tony said softly.

Frank asked hurriedly. "Was it a man or women's voice?"

"A… it was a man's voice." Tony replied nervously. "I... I think it was my father."

"Your father told you that Fenton Hardy was responsible for your mother's death?" Frank repeated.

"Y…yes" Tony stuttered. "I... I heard a man's voice, he kept calling me son... He told me... my mother was d... dead and that Fenton Hardy killed her."

"When did he tell you this?"

Tony stopped picking the quilt, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Frank and Joe. "Right before the accident that you caused."

"What accident?" Joe chimed in.

"I... can't remember." Tony shook his head.

"Why would Fenton Hardy want to kill your mother?" Frank pushed.

"I… I don't know!" Tony grabbed his chest suddenly, gasping for air like a fish out of water. "I... can't... breathe!"

"Tony, look at me," Frank said, silently kicking himself for triggering Tony into a panic attack. He placed a hand on his friend's trembling shoulder, praying he wouldn't make it worse. "You're having another panic attack. Take slow and steady breaths. Calm down."

Tony's eyes locked onto Frank's eyes with intensity. He took slow and steady breaths as Frank instructed, listening to his calming voice and using it to slow his heart-rate. He didn't know why, but something told him to trust the boy. Then, finally, it was as if something had click in his head again. After a few minutes, his breathing was back to normal.

"What happened to my mother?" Tony asked softly, his eyes pleading for answers from Frank and Joe. "Please tell me where she is?"

Frank and Joe exchanged looks with each other. This wasn't the question they had expected Tony to ask. They knew the death of his mother was one of the main factors causing his anxiety.

"Tony, Joe and I will tell you the truth about your mother," Frank whispered in a calm voice. "You have to promise to stay calm before we tell you."

Tony began to feel a bit nervous. "Okay," he said. "I promise. I'll stay calm."

Frank looked up at Ricky, his eyes pleading. "Ricky, would you give us a minute alone with Tony?"

"Si..." Ricky nodded, making his way to the door. "I'll see if Mama is home."

"Thank you, Ricky."

As soon as Ricky left the room, Frank turned back to Tony with a heavy sigh and just spit it out. "It is true that your mother died... however, she wasn't murdered."

Joe, now calm, knelt next to his brother, showing his support for his friend. He wanted to be ready, in case the news about his mother didn't go well.

"Your mother, Simone, passed away last summer after three months of battling cancer. Tony, you had trouble coping with her death. This is understandable. You were very close to her. However, it caused you to start having panic attacks. Well, that, and this nightmare with Heartless."

Joe piped in. "Your Mom was a kind and generous person." Sallowing a lump in his throat, he added, "And she loved you very much."

"Mom… I… can't remember her." Tony's voice quivered, tears dancing in the corners of his eyes as he started to shake involuntarily. Suddenly, he threw his hands to his head, crying out, "Ooow! My head… make it stop! Please make it stop!"

"Why don't you lie back down? Try and relax. Maybe your head won't hurt as much." Frank placed both hands on Tony's shoulders; he tried to get him to lie down.

Tony lay back down on the pillow; he pinched the bridge of his noise, wincing in pain. "Oooow... my head! It hurts"

"What does it feel like?"

"Like... my head is splitting in half!" Tony closed his eyes. His chest was barely moving.

Frank started shaking him. "Tony."

No response.

"Tony!"

Louder this time, but still nothing.

"TONY!" Frank's voice cried out for a third time, this time more panicked than the last.

"Frank, he's not waking up!?" Joe asked, doing his best not to panic but feeling fear rushing through him. "What do we do?!"

"We need to get Tony to a hospital, now," Frank answered. He immediately got to his feet. "Joe, just stay with him. I'll go find Ricky."

"Okay, Frank, just hurry!"

"You're gonna be okay. Hang on." Joe turned back to Tony, grabbing his hand gently. "Don't die Tony... please don't die!"

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><p><em><strong>to be continue... sorry if the story is going at a slow pace. I'll try to pick things up. <strong>__**let me know how I'm doing?**__** please review!** _


	11. Chapter 11

Don't own The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

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><p>"Tony, if you can hear me. I'm so sorry... for arguing with you," Joe whispered, apologizing as thoughts of Iola ran through his head. "I... I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you. None of this is your fault. Just like with Iola. Tony, you were just caught in the middle of someone's revenge against my family, and now here you are... fighting for your life."<p>

Joe looked back at the door, his heart in pure agony. "Frank would skin me alive if he knew what I was thinking."

He took a deep breath before turning back to Tony, saying with finality in his voice, "I'm going to give myself to Heartless in exchange for you, Tony. I couldn't save Iola..." His voice trailed off. "It's not going to happen again. I won't let it."

There was no response, so he continued on.

"I know Frank talked me out if it before, but I'm really going to do it this time."

Joe sighed very deeply and heavily. Tony still wasn't responding.

Joe's mind was racing now, trying to figure out what to do. "Come on, Tony, please wake up," he begged. Then it hit him.

"Little Antonio!" he exclaimed as he squeezed Tony's hand. "Tony, you can't leave your son. Not now. Little Antonio... he needs you."

Joe kept on going, silently praying for any kind of response. He just wanted to know that Tony was okay.

"I know you don't want Sei Duro raising him, Tony. He'd grow up in a world full of darkness and hate and you know he deserves more than that."

Tony stirred a bit, but still said nothing.

"Tony, save him. Save your son from becoming Heartless. You're the kid's father; he will have a better life with you."

Nothing at all, but Joe wasn't giving up hope.

"Bayport may be a small town, but it's our home, and it's a great place to raise a kid. It's a place where people care about each other. It's a place where your friends are more like family. I know Frank would agree. Little Antonio needs to grow up there."

Joe paused to take a breath, struggling to find the right words, and then went on to say. "Frank and I made a vow that no more lives will be lost to people like the Assassins or Heartless. We're going to do whatever it takes to put them out of business for good. And as Little Antonio's guardians, we want him to have a safe place to grow up in. It's just like we grew up."

Taking one last deep breathe, Joe gave one last, measly plea.

"Tony, please... you have to wake up. Don't quit on us now."

There was no response. The silence ticked on seemingly endless, and by each passing second, Joe lost more and more hope. In defeat, he lowered his head, feeling pain and guilt welling within him. He was just about to break down completely when all of the sudden Tony's eyelids started moving and excitement flooded right back in to Joe's face.

"That's it, Tony! Open your eyes."

Joe's blue eyes lit up when he saw Tony's own brown ones staring up at him. He had a vacate stare, as if trying to figure out who he was.

"Tony..." Joe started to say when Tony cut him off.

"Joe," Tony said in a raspy voice. His voice was stronger again when he added, "Joe Hardy."

"Yes... that's right, Tony. It's Joe. You're going to be okay."

Tony slowly started to rise upwards, but Joe stopped him by placing both hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie down once again. "It's okay. You're safe. Lay back down and rest."

Joe couldn't help it; relief flooded through him like blood.

"I'm going to get Frank. We're going to get you to a doctor. You'll feel better in no time," he continued, getting to his feet.

All of the sudden, however, Tony shot out of the bed, knocking Joe to the floor in a heap.

"Tony what..." Joe began, completely stunned by his friend's actions. Tony was sitting top of him. Then a chill ran down his spine when he felt Tony's hands wrap around his neck. "Tony... what are you... doing?"

The expression on Tony's face was stone-cold like before. Sheer terror ran through Joe's body and suddenly he began breathing heavily, gasping for air as less and less of it made its way through his windpipe. "Tony... it's me... Joe... I'm your friend... Tony... stop!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Tony snarled, giving Joe an icy stare as his hands gripped tightly around Joe's neck. Joe never knew his kind friend was capable of producing such an expression.

"Frank...!" Joe tried to call out, but Tony belted him across the face with a fist before he could get the word out. Joe saw stars from the blow to the face. He could taste blood on his lip. "Tony... stop! It's Joe..."

Again and again Tony punched Joe across the face. Before Joe could recover from the repeated blows to his cheeks and jawbone, Tony had his hands around his neck again.

Joe started to panic as he took in the direness of the situation and realized his words didn't seem to faze Tony. "Tony... please stops this!

Joe felt like he was going to black out from the pain and lack of oxygen. Every part of him was telling him to fight back, but this was his friend... he didn't want to hurt him.

"Tony... stop! Please!"

He heard the sound of a door being kicked in with a loud _CRASH, _followed by a series of voices shouting words in Italian and a chilling sound of a women screaming, "Ricky!"

"Bang!" He heard the loud blast of a gunshot and the heart-stopping thud of a body hitting the floor.

"No! Mama!" Ricky's voice cried out.

"Cypher, Wilkes, Vinny! Find them!" A voice exploded from outside the room, cursing in something in Italian.

"Heartless!" Joe thought, and his heart started pounding out of his chest. He was utterly confused by the situation, but he still knew that voice when he heard it. The sound of thunderous footsteps was coming down the hallway, and they were coming their way!

"Come near this door and I'll tear you apart!" Joe heard Frank's voice ring outside the door.

Then, suddenly, Joe heard a scuffle and glass shattering. "Frank!" he attempted to scream. He knew a fight had broken out. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on outside the door, but he knew Frank would be out numbered.

"Frank..." Joe tried to cry out again, but was still struggling with Tony's suddenly tight, iron-like grip. He was practically clawing the boy's hands away from his neck, but it was no use. Tony wasn't going to let up. Everything started to get blurry, and Joe felt himself begin to fade away into unconsciousness.

"Tony s… stop... please listen to me. Frank's in trouble... we have to ... help him!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Tony yelled, oblivious to everything but his sudden urge to kill.

"I don't... want to hurt... you... Tony." Joe gasped for a breath.

"Awww!" Frank's voice screamed out from somewhere out of view.

"Frank!"

Panic flared up again in Joe's veins, encouraging him to keep fighting.

"Tony... please... Frank's in trouble... he needs help!" Joe pleaded, gasping for air before he realized that he had no choice. He had to think fast or, well... _Tony was going to kill him! _He began by trying to pry Tony's hands away from his neck again, since it was about all he could do to keep himself focussed and stop himself from passing out. Joe kept his chin tight against his neck as much as possible, and placing his thumb in the bend of Tony's elbow, he squeezed hard on the joint, making Tony shout out in pain.

"Awww!" Joe cried out and pushed in towards his face, making his head came out of the choke-hold. He threw his other hand around Tony's shoulder, shifting his posture, hooking one of his legs behind Tony's, and flipping him over on his back. Soon he found himself on top of Tony, breathing hard but miraculously alive.

Joe took a moment to compose himself, taking in deep, steady breaths. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the blood from his nose and mouth. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken.

"Joe..." Tony whispered softly, confusion glittering in his eyes. Then, all of the sudden, it was as if something clicked in his head. Tony looked up at Joe, his eyes foggy. Joe hesitated before he moved, ready to defend himself in case of another attack.

"Joe, what happen to you?" Tony asked anxiously. "Why are you on top of me?

"Don't you remember?" Joe asked as he got off of Tony and helped him sit up.

Tony thought for a moment, than shook his head. "No." He studied Joe's bloody face and nose, his eyes landing on the hand prints around his neck.

Tony's eyes widened as the realization struck him. "D... did I do... that to... you?" He cursed something in Italian under his breath.

"Yes, you did."

Joe swirled around to see Sei Duro standing in the doorway, grinning like a Cheshire cat. His voice had been the one to break through the silence.

Sei Duro looked at Tony with satisfaction. "I saw everything. You tried to kill young Joseph here."

"What?" Tony's eyes glued to Sei Duro and suddenly his body started trembling. He gulped nervously. "No… that's not true."

"Look at your hands, Prito."

Tony held out his bloody hands, gasping in horror. He looked back at Joe's bloody face and the hand prints around his neck.

"No! Joe... I'm so sorry."

He then started backing away until his back was pressed against a wall; He drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. His body was shaking. Tears filled his eyes, and he started whimpering intermittently and rocking back and forth. "I'm so... sorry."

His voice trembled considerably.

"I'm so... sorry. I'm so... sorry... I'm so... sorry."

Joe kneeled next to Tony. "Tony, I'm okay. I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault." He nodded towards Sei Duro. "He made you do this. He's the real monster here."

"I'm not the one with blood on my hands," Sei Duro replied cooly.

"Tony, just please listen to me. It's not your fault." Joe tried every possible way to get Tony to snap out of it, but he didn't know what to do.

Tony kept whimpering intermittently and rocking back and forth, almost as if he didn't hear a word that had been said. "I'm so... sorry.

Letting out a slight chuckle, Sei Duro's eyes glowed at the sight of the boy's torment. Joe was furious by the evil grin spread across Sei Duro's face.

"Leave him alone," Joe hissed, and he stood protectively in front of Tony. "Or..."

"Or… what? You'll tear me apart?" Sei Duro taunted. "I warned your brother not to underestimate my power. I always get what I want, and no one can stop me."

"Where's my brother?!" Joe demanded, clutching his fists. "What did you do to him?"

_"Cypher, Wilkes, Vinny_! Bring Frank Hardy in here!"

Joe gasped in horror as Wilkes, Cypher, and Vinny showed up and smiled proudly, all dragging Frank's limp body into the room. Frank's face was all battered and bloody. They threw him at Joe's feet like a rag doll, his arms splayed out beside him.

"Frank!" Joe fell to his knees at Frank's side, placing two fingers under his neck. He let out a breath he was holding. Oh, thank God. He was alive... unconscious, but alive.

"I guess your brother isn't as bright, intelligent, and confident as he appeared to be," Sei Duro said smugly, his narrow lips stretching into a cruel smile as he eyed Frank lying unconscious on the floor

Immediately jumping to his feet, Joe lost his temper and rushed up to the evil man. Releasing his anger, he began puffing up his chest as his breathing got heavy and ragged. "I'll kill you!"

Cypher pulled a handgun out of his back pocket without a second thought, aiming the gun right at Frank's head. "I wouldn't, if I were you!"

"Don't kill my brother!" Joe shouted, freezing in his tracks as the reality of the situation reached him.

He wanted nothing more than to tear into Heartless. However, he could never live with himself if his rash anger got Frank or Tony killed. Out of the corner of Joe's eye, he could see Tony still whimpering intermittently and rocking back and forth, repeating "I'm... so... sorry" like a chant.

_He had to stop this. But really... there was only one thing to do. _Joe looked straight at Sei Duro, taking a deep breath, and let the words fly out of his mouth. "How about I make you a deal?"

Sei Duro raised an eyebrow at this, generally curious. "You want to make a deal with me?"

"Yes." Joe took another deep breath, mustering up his courage. "The deal is you leave Frank and Tony alone. Stop this sick game of yours. And if you agree... I'll go with you. I'll join Heartless. No questions asked. I won't even put up a fight. Just... leave them alone."

"Put the gun down!" Sei Duro ordered Cypher, something dangerous flooding his expression.

Joe held his breath as Sei Duro walked up to him with hate-filled eyes. "You must be as stupid as your brother."

"Well, is it a deal?" Joe asked, ignoring Sei Duro's comment. In a matter-of-fact tone, he added, "Think about it. I'm more valuable to you than Frank or Tony. I have a lot of enemies who want me. Remember, I am responsible for the death of one of the top leaders of the Assassins; Al-Rousasa."

Sei Duro rubbed his chin, as if considering the tempting offer.

"What would the great Fenton Hardy say? If he knew his precious baby boy wants to become Heartless."

"It's my choice," Joe simply stated. He knew it would kill his father if he knew what he was doing, but he simply had to do it. Joe pushed up his shirt sleeve, revealing the scar from the knife wound that D.K. Mathers had given him. "I have a valid contract. I'm a part of Heartless. Am I not?"

Sei Duro looked at him curiously.

"So that means I belong to you now. Am I right?"

There was an intense silence that filled the room, everyone waiting for Sei Duro to speak. All of the sudden, however, an evil grin spread across Sei Duro's face, his uncontrollable chuckling breaking the silence.

"You got a deal, Joseph**. **You're mine."

Even though he had asked for it, the words sent a chill down his spine.

"Okay, but first..."Joe swallowed a lump in his throat. "Let me say goodbye to... my brother."

"Make it quick."

Joe kneeled next to Frank. Calming down his voice and trying hard to hold back the tears swelling from him eyes, he whispered "You're going to be okay, Frank. Take care of Tony. He needs a big brother and you're the best one a kid could ask for."

He had to take a moment to choke back his sob.

"I hope one day you'll forgive me for leaving you. I'm sorry."

Slowly, Joe leaned forward and kissed Frank on the forehead. "I love you."

"Come on let go!" Sei Duro shouted, rolling his eyes and losing patience.

"Goodbye Frank." It was killing to leave his brother like this. But he had to do it... for him. Without a second thought, Joe got to his feet and followed Sei Duro and his three recruiters out of the room.

* * *

><p>I promise things will start turning around for the Hardy boys. That is as soon as Frank wakes up. Lets see how many reviews it will take to wake Frank up?<p>

Please for Joe's sake review!

Thank you to those who are reading and reviewing my story. I hope you are it joying it.


	12. Chapter 12

I haven't been getting a lot of responses to my story. I don't know why? If there is something wrong with it, please tell me. So I can fix it.

I am determined to see this story to the end.

so here's another chapter hope you like it.

Don't own the Hardy Boy

Mind Games

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><p>Frank woke up to the sorrowful sound of someone crying.<p>

"I'm so... sorry. I'm so... sorry. I'm so... sorry."

The first thought that came to his mind was Joe. He tried to open his eyes, then quickly closed them again due to his current sensitivity to light, causing his head to ache with agony. He touched the back of his head, feeling a small bump and wincing at the contact.

Again he heard the sound of crying. It sent a thrill of panic down his spine.

"Joe, I'm coming!" Going into big-brother mode almost instantly, Frank slowly opened his eyes again, letting his eyes adjust to his surroundings. He soon realized he was on the floor in a bedroom. Following the crying voice, Frank found to his surprise that it was actually Tony who was sobbing. He had his back pressed against a wall, with his legs up to his chest and his arms tucked tight around them. "Tony?"

His voice trembled considerably.

Tony looked up at Frank, still sobbing as tears rolled down his face. "Frank..." he moaned. "I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean to... do it."

"Tony, you know who I am?"

"Of course I do." Tony merely looked at him strangely. "Frank, why would you ask me that?"

"You've had trouble remembering things. But it's not your fault someone did this to you."

"What?" Tony asked, confusion on his face. He threw his hands to his head, crying out, in his pain and confusion. "Owwww! My head... hurts!" Then he started breathing heavily, grabbing his chest and gasping like a fish out of water. "Frank, what's... happening... to me? I... can't breath!"

"You're having a panic attack." Frank answered, slowly getting to his knees and ignoring the pain in his head. He slowly crawled his way to Tony, eyes full of sympathy.

"Tony, take slow and steady breaths," Frank said, softly letting his breath rush out as he came to Tony's side. "Tony, calm down." He placed a hand on Tony's trembling shoulder.

Then, like a switch had turned on in his head, Tony suddenly remembers. He held out his hands to Frank, sobbing harder than ever. "It's all... my fault."

Frank's heart almost stopped when he saw the blood coating his hands like a layer of red paint. "Tony, what happened to your hands?"

"I'm so... sorry." Tony looked up at Frank, pleading. "Please... don't... hate... me."

Frank's brown eyes widened. "Why would I hate..." Almost instantly, he thought back to the night Tony tried to take his life. He found him in his room just like this. That's when they discovered he had taken a hand full of his mother's pills. Frank shuddered, remembering the way Tony had hallucinated from the effects of the pills he took, thinking he had killed Joe.

Frank spotted traces of blood on the floor as well. Now he was dreading Tony's answer to his next question, but he knew he had to ask it. It was inevitable. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he muttered, "Where did the blood come from?"

There was a heavy silence. Finally Tony answered.

"J... Joe," Tony gulped nervously as he continued his sobbing. "I didn't mean... to... I'm so sorry... I... tried... to ... kill him."

"You tried to what?" Frank couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rage flared up inside of him without his consent. As the words clicked in his brain, he suddenly wanted to beat the hell out of Tony for hurting his little brother. But still... he knew deep down it wasn't his fault.

"Oh God..." Tony just shook his head, hysterically crying. "Oh God... I hurt... Joe! Why'd I hurt him?! I'm so... sorry... I just... want... Oh God... I want to die!"

"Tony, please, listen to me. Don't talk like that." The words sent chills down Frank's spin, he could barely move his lips to respond. He had to get Tony's mind off of his suicidal thoughts and get him to focus on something else. He took a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm. He had to keep Tony from doing something crazy, but the same time, Frank had a deep, welling panic inside of him at the very thought of what might've happened to Joe.

He put a hand on Tony's shoulder, felt his friend shaking, and in a calming voice whispered, "This is not your fault. I know you didn't mean to hurt Joe. But you have to tell me... where is Joe now?"

Tony went silent, and this time Frank's panic doubled.

"Tony, where's Joe?" Frank asked again, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking.

"I don't know." Tony shook his head. "He's... gone."

Again the room fell silent. Not liking the way that sounded, Frank's heart started pounding out of his chest. "What do you mean, gone?"

Tony said nothing. Fury poured in to Frank like fuel in a car.

"Tony, where is he? Where's Joe?"

"H... he left with them."

"Who are them?"

"H... Heartless."

"Oh God no." Frank gasped, horrified at the thought. He started racking his brain, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't do this alone, he knew he couldn't... he needed help. He had to find Joe, but he needed help. And at the same time, Frank knew that with his PSTD, Tony couldn't be left alone. Dr. Stevens had made it perfectly clear that when Tony was like this someone had to stay with him at all times, given his suicidal tendencies.

Taking a deep breath, Frank simply stated. "Tony, I need you to listen to me." Tony saw the seriousness in Frank's eyes and nodded. "I need for you to stay right here. _Don't do anything."_

Slowly, Tony nodded.

"Keep taking slow and steady breaths. Stay calm. Trust me, I am _not_ leaving you."

Once again, Tony nodded, understanding washing over his face. "Okay."

"I'll be right back. I promise." Frank got to his feet. Suddenly, however, a wave of dizziness came over him. He held onto a dresser for support. Quickly shaking off the dizziness, he bit his lip, forcing himself to focus. "Focus, Hardy, focus. Joe and Tony need you." Finally getting himself together, Frank rushed out in to the hallway. He couldn't stop thinking of his brother in the hands of Heartless.

"I'm coming Joe. Hold on, little brother."

He increased his speed, looking out into the end of the hallway with a new set of determination brimming in his heart.

"I will find you."

Frank froze in his tracks when he saw the site of Ricky hovering over the body of a short, slender woman in her late forties. The women had dark hair pulled back in a bun, and she was wearing a maid's uniform. Evidently, it was Ricky's mother, what with the way Ricky held onto and cried, over and over, "Mama... Mama."

_(Flashback) Everything started coming back to Frank. They needed to get Tony to a hospital. He remembered rushing out the door to find Ricky and hearing voices coming from the kitchen, finding Ricky talking to his mother. He was about to say something when they heard a commotion in the bedroom. Joe's voice, terrified as ever, shouted out, "Tony... stop!"_

_That's when the door was violently kicked open. Wilkes, Cypher, and Vinny, along with Sei Duro himself, came brawling into the house. Sei Duro barked out orders in Italian to his three recruits. After that, it was like everything was happening in slow motion._

_Out of the corner of Frank's eye, Ricky darted up to Heartless. "Where's my brother?! You son of a..."_

_"Ricky!" his mother screamed out, panic heavy in her voice. Cypher pulled a handgun out of his back pocket without a second thought, aiming the gun right at Ricky's mother. "Bang!" He pulls the trigger immediately, sending the bullet flying straight into her chest. Frank and Ricky watched in horror as she clutched her heart and fell lifeless to the floor._

_"No! Mama!" Ricky cried out, rushing to his mother's side._

_Ignoring Ricky's cries, an evil grin spread across Sei Duro's face, looking at Frank with his eyes delighted and hungry. "I've been looking for you. Looks like I win. Now you belong to me."_

_"Oh wait," he said, looking around the room in fained shock. "It appears we're missing young Joseph and Prito."_

_Suddenly, Joe's voice cried out from behind them, "Tony... stop! Please!"_

_"Cypher, Wilkes, Vinny! Find them!" Sei Duro ordered immediately, satisfaction dancing across his face._

_Cypher, Wilkes and Vinny headed towards the bedroom without a second thought. Frank immediately ran past them, blocking the door. He glared at them with his fists clutched at his side, standing ready for a fight._

_"Come near this door and I'll tear you apart!"_

_Cypher immediately charged up to Frank, pointing the gun at his head. Not missing a beat, Frank ran up to him, sending a roundhouse kick in a semicircular motion and knocking the gun out of his hand. It skidded across the ground.  
><em>_  
>Frank might've done even more damage, in fact, if he was not distracted by Joe calling his name, clearly horrified. "Frank!"<em>

_All of a sudden, Wilkes comes from behind him, pinning Frank's arms behind his back. Vinny punched Frank hard in the pit of his stomach. Frank fell to the floor, gasping out of pain. Before Frank could make a move, Cypher picked up a glass vase on the table and hit him on the back of the head._

_"Awww!" Frank cried out, and in a moment, everything had gone black..._

"Mama!" Ricky's cries suddenly broke through Frank's thoughts, getting his attention. Frank touched the back of his head instinctually, feeling a small bump, and winced at the contacted; he quickly pushed the pain aside. "Focus, Hardy, focus."

"Ricky." Frank knelt next to the distraught boy, knowing nothing he could say to him would fix a thing.

"Mama!" Ricky looked up at him, voice heavy with emotion. "Heartless... they... killed...her! Mama! She's dead!"

He was hyperventilating almost to the point of it being extreme, but he did not stop talking.

"Heartless took... Matteo... now Mama's gone!"

"Ricky, listen to me," Frank said, taking a deep breath to calm himself and doing his best to stay in-control for everyone's sake. "Please, take a minute to calm down. I am so sorry about your mother, but I promise you. Heartless will pay for this."

Ricky looked concerned at this.

"Heartless has my brother, Joe," Frank went on to say. "I need to go find him. However, I can't leave my friend Tony. Will you help me?"

Very slowly, Ricky nodded. "Si."

"Do you have a telefono?" Frank asked, knowing the Italian word for phone.

"A... telefono." Ricky nodded. "Si." He quickly got to his feet and headed to his bedroom.**  
><strong>

Frank hurried to catch up to him, for he needed to check on Tony as well. His heart almost stopped when he saw Tony. He was still sitting with his back pressed against a wall, his legs up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. However, his brown eyes were staring off, almost as if he was in some sort of trance.

"Tony," Frank said softly, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. "Are you okay?"

Tony didn't flinch.

"Tony," He tried again.

Still nothing.

"He's not snapping out of it," Frank said worriedly.

Ricky pulled a cell phone from a dresser drawer. He handed it to Frank. "Is a... Matteo's phone. We can't afford... a phone... Matteo buys a prepaid phone. In case of emergency. It should work."

"Thank you, Ricky." Frank said, gratitude flooding through him. "I think this is an emergency."

"Joe, Tony, hang on. Help is on the way," Frank said as he started dialing his father's number. He knew it would be only a matter of time before his father would show up in Italy. Frank also knew his father would move heaven and earth to find them. That was just the kind of man his father was.

"Please, God, let him answer." Frank's heart started pounding out of his chest as the anticipation grew, waiting to hear this father's voice.

Within seconds, a familiar voice burst from the end of the line.

"Detective Fenton Hardy."

"Thank God," Frank said under his breath, hearing the sound of his father's voice. "Dad? It's Frank..."

To be continue... Please review & Thank You, Have a Merry Christmas!


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